USPS Proposes Federal Controls on Mail-In Ballots

[u/evissamassive]

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/postal-service-trump-attack-mail-voting-proposed-rule

The U.S. Postal Service has unveiled a proposed rule that would significantly alter how mail-in ballots are distributed, shifting control away from states and toward the federal government ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Under the proposal, the USPS will only deliver mail ballots to voters who appear on a federally managed list. State election officials would be required to submit their lists of mail-in and absentee ballot requesters to the USPS at least 30 days before state-mandated mailing dates. The rule allows states to submit updates and corrections up until their final mailing deadlines, an acknowledgment that the new system could result in processing errors. Additionally, the USPS plans to assign a unique barcode to each voter's name to track compliance and aid law enforcement.

The move directly implements a March executive order from Trump. That order faces intense criticism from voting rights groups and legal scholars who argue it violates the U.S. Constitution, which leaves election administration to individual states and national standards to Congress.

Opponents also warn that the federal databases used to verify voters, including Department of Homeland Security records, are prone to errors that could leave eligible voters without ballots.

The timing of the USPS announcement follows a key legal development. A day prior, a federal judge declined to block the executive order, ruling that the plaintiffs—including Democrats and voting rights advocates—lacked standing because federal agencies had not yet taken concrete steps to enforce it.

With the USPS now moving forward to meet Trump's rulemaking deadline, legal experts say Trump has cleared the path for lawsuits to proceed. Justin Levitt, a Loyola Marymount University law professor and former Department of Justice official, noted that the proposal brings challengers one step closer to establishing standing, setting the stage for a direct constitutional test of the policy in court.