US Postal Service says new mail ballot rules tied to Trump order are in effect

The US Postal Service (USPS) announced on Thursday that new mail-in voting rules are now in effect, as part of the Trump administration's efforts to limit the practice ahead of the November midterms. The move is anticipated to lead to additional legal challenges. The Trump administration has been pushing for stricter rules that would require state election leaders to share their voter rolls for inspection, as part of an effort to increase federal oversight over elections.

These postal service requirements stem from an executive order issued by Donald Trump earlier this year, mandating the post office to avoid delivering mail-in ballots to registered voters deemed ineligible based on Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other federal records.

The postal service posted a final rule on ballot delivery on Friday, with the rule set to take effect immediately, covering ballots for the upcoming November US midterm elections. The US Supreme Court ruled on Monday that a lower court injunction blocking the implementation of the rule should be lifted, at least until the postal service began enforcing it.

However, the court's ruling did not comment on the rule's constitutionality or legality. Article I of the US Constitution grants states and Congress control over elections, not the executive branch.

On Wednesday, US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted her nationwide injunction on the implementation of the postal service change, citing the Supreme Court's decision. Meanwhile, two dozen states and the District of Columbia filed a new lawsuit on Wednesday to block the executive order restricting mail voting in this year's midterm elections. The states argued that the USPS policy is part of a larger attempt by the administration to "rewrite federal election law and usurp the authority of the states and Congress."