What to Know About the USPS’s Rule for Mail-In Ballots

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has issued a 95-page final rule to implement new mail-in ballot requirements, in response to President Donald Trump's executive order. The rule mandates USPS employees to verify compliance with specific envelope, barcode, and data-reporting requirements for outbound federal ballot mailings.

The rule was designed to comply with the executive order, which directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile and send lists of adult citizens in each state, as well as establish state-specific lists of people to whom mail-in or absentee ballots are intended to be sent. However, the rule faces two court injunctions blocking its implementation.

The first injunction, issued by Massachusetts U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani on June 25, found two sections of the executive order unlawful and barred federal agencies from implementing those sections against plaintiff states and D.C. for elections held on or before November 3. The second injunction, issued on August 11, prohibits USPS from implementing, enforcing, or giving effect to the executive order's mail-voting provisions for any elections ahead of or on November 3.

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