The Department of Justice will defend mail-in voting restrictions set by former President Donald Trump. Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed this following a significant 6-3 Supreme Court decision. He stated the DOJ is ready to ensure election integrity before the midterm elections.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, alongside attorneys general from 23 states and Washington, D.C., is contesting a Trump-endorsed mail-in ballot rule. This rule imposes new federal standards on the preparation and mailing of ballots by states. Shapiro expressed his commitment to countering the new regulations, emphasizing that Pennsylvania’s mail-in voting remains unchanged and secure.
The coalition of states challenged the executive order after the Supreme Court paused an earlier injunction from a Massachusetts federal judge. This injunction targeted key components of Trump’s mail-voting order, but the court ruled the challenge was premature as USPS had not released a final rule at that time.
“The Supreme Court ruling was a key victory for the security of American elections,” stated a White House representative. The administration aims to continue implementing measures to safeguard election processes.
The USPS’s new “Ballot Mail for Federal Elections” rule took effect recently. It requires election officials to submit details about mail-in ballot recipients to a USPS portal, and other measures, including trackable barcodes and design pre-approval for ballot envelopes.
The states argue that the rule improperly assigns USPS a regulatory role in elections. They claim it forces adoption of new procedures and bypasses Congress’s authority over election rules. They are seeking a court to halt the rule while their lawsuit progresses.
The previous Massachusetts court injunction had stopped USPS from implementing these requirements during the midterms. However, the Supreme Court’s decision led to lifting this block. The justices stated the injunction was lifted not due to merit issues, but because the states lacked standing to challenge the executive order at the time. The states aim to answer the timing issues highlighted by the court.
A USPS representative did not comment in time for publication.
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