US Postal Service shares mail-in ballot restrictions despite court ruling

The United States Postal Service (USPS) has published a final draft of proposed rules aimed at restricting the use of mail-in ballots, even as these measures face existing court injunctions. The 95-page update, released Friday, is designed to take effect immediately should the current court orders be overturned.

Under the proposed regulations, the USPS would cease distributing mail-in ballots to states that do not comply with federal demands for voter records. States would be mandated to identify voters requesting mail-in ballots and redesign ballot envelopes with barcodes for tracking purposes. The USPS contends these changes are necessary for operational efficiency and to ensure compliance with federal law, arguing they do not constitute election administration or usurp state resources.

However, critics, including those who have opposed former President Donald Trump's efforts to influence election processes, accuse the Trump administration of attempting to exert federal oversight on election administration, a responsibility constitutionally assigned to the states. Concerns have been raised that the USPS could leverage these rules to gather voter information and potentially reject ballots from non-compliant states.

This move follows Trump's persistent claims of widespread election fraud, despite numerous studies showing the rarity of such occurrences in the U.S. He has continued to question election outcomes, including the 2020 presidential race, and has previously accused states of "cheating" in primaries. Mail-in ballots have been a consistent target of his efforts to exert greater control over electoral processes, despite his own use of mail-in voting.

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These requirements do not amount to election administration, nor do they usurp state resources. Rather, they regulate the use of the mail to improve operational efficiency and support the faithful execution of federal law.