Postal Service issues “final order” to restrict mail-in voting

MS NOW -  The U.S. Postal Service has issued a “final order” to restrict mail-in voting, carrying out President Donald Trump’s executive order about two months ahead of the November midterm elections.  In its rule, the agency said it would deliver mail ballots only in states that provide voter information to the Trump administration. But the USPS order, issued late Friday night, acknowledged that injunctions issued by courts in California and Massachusetts must be lifted in order for the new rules to be implemented.

The Supreme Court could rule on the matter at any moment.

“If the government obtains timely relief from the injunctions, implementation immediately thereafter will provide election officials as much time as possible before the next election to comply with the rule’s preparation standards for Federal Ballot Mail envelopes,” the regulations state.

The Postal Service order says states must “prepare to submit data” to a federal portal before they can receive mail-in and absentee ballots.  Trump has long sought to restrict mail-in voting despite frequently casting his own ballot by mail.

In March, he signed an executive order requiring states to provide the federal government with lists of voters receiving ballots by mail. The Postal Service would only send mail-in and absentee ballots to voters on the list, essentially giving the agency sweeping power to screen ballots for eligibility.

While Trump’s executive order was blocked by two federal courts, his administration has asked the Supreme Court to move quickly to clear the way for the new restrictions in time for the midterm elections