Federal Judge Blocks Trump's Mail Ballot Order Ahead of Midterms

<p>A federal judge on Thursday blocked President Donald Trump's executive order limiting mail-in voting, issuing a temporary restraining order against the directive just over a week before the first mail ballots are expected to be sent out for the upcoming midterm elections.</p><p>U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14-day temporary restraining order preventing enforcement of the new U.S. Postal Service rule that implemented the order.</p><p>The ruling is expected to be appealed and could return to the Supreme Court, following a recent procedural decision that allowed the administration to proceed.</p><p>This ruling follows the re-filing of lawsuits by Democrats and voting rights groups to comply with the Supreme Court's recent decision, which did not address the legality of Trump’s order but indicated that Talwani had acted prematurely.</p><p>The administration has issued a formal rule governing how states must prepare and submit mail ballots for USPS acceptance, effectively resetting the legal dispute.</p><p>The outcome of this case could significantly affect the midterm elections, as nearly one-third of Americans vote by mail, and election officials have expressed concerns about the insufficient time to adjust their systems to comply with the new directives.</p><p>The Postal Service stated it will not accept outbound mail ballots unless states submit required recipient information through its portal and meet the rule’s envelope and barcode specifications.</p><p>Judge Talwani noted in her ruling, "Plaintiff states have neither time nor funds to design new mail ballots, seek approval of the new designs, order production of mail ballots, update their own election management systems, train election officials to use the USPS portal and upload citizen data to the portal, all before the midterms."</p><p>A hearing in the case is scheduled for September 3.</p><p>Democrats and voting rights advocates argue that the Postal Service rule and Trump’s order are unconstitutional, asserting that the Constitution grants states and Congress the authority to establish election rules, which they claim the president and Postal Service do not possess. The USPS contends that the rule does not determine voter eligibility or compare submissions with state voter rolls, maintaining that states retain control over mail voting.</p><p>New York Attorney General Letitia James, representing one of the lawsuits, stated, "This rule is a clear attempt by the federal government to interfere in elections it has no power to control. Today, a federal court halted it before this administration could wreak havoc on our elections."</p><p>Trump’s initial executive order, issued last year, was blocked on similar grounds, as it sought to alter election procedures, including requiring additional documentation for voter registration.</p><p>Trump has consistently criticized mail-in voting, linking it to his 2020 election loss to former President Joe Biden, despite using mail-in voting himself as a registered voter in Florida.</p><p>A report by the Brookings Institution indicated that mail-in voting fraud occurred in only about four cases per 10 million mail ballots cast, countering claims by Trump and his allies regarding widespread election fraud. The analysis covered general elections from 2016 through 2022.</p><p>Trump's executive order targeting mail-in voting was issued in March, leading to subsequent legal challenges. Earlier this year, a federal judge in Washington declined to block the order, deeming the challenge premature as the administration had not yet implemented the directive.</p><p>The Supreme Court recently overturned one of those holds, prompting Talwani to lift the second injunction shortly thereafter. Plaintiffs then refiled their challenges, referencing the Postal Service’s publication of its final rule to strengthen their case.</p><p><i>The Associated Press contributed to this report.</i></p>