The U.S. Postal Service may not deliver mail-in ballots to states that refuse to release detailed voter lists to the Trump administration.
Read more Three children hospitalized after car strikes utility pole and road sign: HCFR
According to Reuters, U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed the proposal at a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing last week.
New mail ballot policy
What we know:
The proposal would require states to release to the Postal Service the names and barcodes tied to their mail-in ballots for federal elections, according to Reuters. It would also require states to provide unique barcodes on the outbound and return ballot envelopes.
At the Senate hearing last week, Steiner said USPS won’t deliver ballots to states that don’t comply with President Donald Trump’s new election rules.
What they’re saying:
The Postal Service said the new rules “will help determine adherence to federal law and facilitate law enforcement efforts.”
FILE: A U.S. Post Office truck sits parked in a suburban neighborhood February 10, 2022 in NORTH HALEDON, NJ. (Photo by Michael Bocchieri/Getty Images)
Steiner maintains the plan would be more efficient and similar to what many states are already doing. He said it’s simply a way to make sure “we match the ballots that a state believes they’re sending out to what actually gets sent out.”
Read more 3 firefighters die fighting Snyder Fire near Colorado-Utah border
RELATED: Judge bans Trump from enforcing proof of citizenship requirement to vote
Dig deeper:
The proposal is tied to an executive order Trump issued in March that sought to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot. Trump has long been a vocal critic of mail-in voting. He has repeatedly said it’s more vulnerable to fraud, though he hasn’t provided evidence to support those claims.
Pushback on Trump’s election rules
What we don’t know:
It’s unclear if the Postal Service will be able to legally withhold mail-in ballots from states that don’t comply. A judge on Thursday halted the March executive order on mail-in ballots, agreeing with a coalition of nearly two dozen states that argued Trump’s order should be found unconstitutional because the states and Congress, not the president, have the power to set election rules.
The other side:
In her ruling, the judge said the provisions of Trump’s order seeking to create a federal list of eligible voters and using the U.S. Postal Service to determine who can receive a mail ballot are “legally void” because they “unconstitutionally violate the separation of powers.”
“The proposed rule basically coerces states to conform to these new requirements and hand over their absentee voter rolls, or face the consequences of not being able to vote by mail,” Sen. Gary Peters, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said, per Reuters. “That’s unacceptable.”
Read more More than 1,400 veterans gather in Tampa for the 40th National Veterans Golden Age Games
About the Author
