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last mo.

Federal Judges Keep Trump-Era Postal Rule Off Ballots

The rulings stop a USPS plan that would require states to provide voter lists, use unique barcoded ballot envelopes, and permit refusal of noncompliant ballots as courts decide whether a federal agency may set election procedures.

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Overview

  • The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday refused the government’s emergency request to lift a Boston judge’s injunction, leaving the USPS rule blocked while related lawsuits proceed.
  • A second federal judge, Carl Nichols, granted a separate temporary injunction late Sunday that also prevents the rule from taking effect before the November midterm elections.
  • Both Judge Indira Talwani and Judge Nichols found the rule likely exceeds USPS authority and could make it harder for eligible voters to cast mail ballots if enforced on short notice.
  • The contested rule would force states to send lists of approved mail-ballot recipients to USPS, require uniquely barcoded mailing and return envelopes, and give USPS authority to reject ballots that do not meet those requirements.
  • Democrats and voting-rights groups say the rule unlawfully interferes with state-run elections and risks disenfranchising voters, while the Justice Department argues the measure is meant to prevent fraud; the clash could return to the Supreme Court and create practical delays for mail voting in many states.