Trump’s new US mail voting rules take effect as states warn of midterm disruption
New US restrictions on mailed ballots took effect on Thursday, leaving state and local election officials racing to comply – or persuade a federal judge to intervene – weeks before millions of ballots are due to be sent to voters ahead of November’s midterm elections. The US Postal Service rules require election authorities to assign unique bar codes to outgoing and return ballot envelopes,…
Restrictions on mailed ballots became effective in the United States on Thursday, leaving state and local election officials to scramble to comply or seek intervention from a federal judge within weeks before millions of ballots are to be sent to voters ahead of the November midterm elections. To meet the new requirements, election authorities must assign unique bar codes to outgoing and return ballot envelopes, share voters' names, addresses, and corresponding bar code data through an online portal, and obtain approval for their envelope designs.
Failure to meet these conditions could allow the US Postal Service to reject an outgoing batch of federal election ballots, potentially disrupting voting for eligible voters. The US Postal Service did not respond to a request for comment on the matter. The restrictions were introduced in response to an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in March, aimed at implementing federal citizenship-verification and election-integrity measures.
The Postal Service claimed that the changes would enhance its ability to monitor individual ballots, improve the visibility of election mail, and assist law enforcement in identifying potential fraud. However, critics argue that President Trump is attempting to exert control over elections that the US Constitution primarily entrusts to the states and Congress.
A lawsuit filed by Democratic attorneys general from 23 states and Washington, supported by Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, seeks to block the final rule in Boston. Voting rights organizations have also filed a parallel challenge and requested immediate relief. A hearing on whether to issue a preliminary injunction is scheduled for September 3, though the plaintiffs are also seeking a temporary restraining order to halt the rule sooner.
The legal battle has become more pressing as some jurisdictions are set to start sending ballots in September. Lower courts had previously blocked the Trump administration from implementing the mail-voting provisions, but the US Supreme Court lifted one injunction on Monday, leaving the fate of the president's authority to impose the requirements unresolved.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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