Democratic Governors Urge USPS to Drop Trump Mail-Ballot Rule After Court Block
A group of Democratic governors is pressing the U.S. Postal Service to withdraw a proposed mail-ballot rule tied to President Donald Trump’s blocked election executive order, escalating a fight over who controls election administration before the November midterms.
The letter was organized by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and joined by Democratic governors from California, Connecticut, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington and Wisconsin, according to AP. The governors argued that the proposed USPS rule would undermine state authority, complicate voting systems and risk blocking eligible voters from receiving ballots by mail.
Trump’s March executive order directed federal agencies to compile state citizenship lists and instructed the Postmaster General to begin rulemaking for mail-in and absentee ballot services through USPS.
The dispute now sits at the intersection of election law, postal operations and presidential power.
Reuters reported that U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani blocked implementation of Trump’s mail-voting order before the November elections, finding that Trump exceeded his authority and that USPS lacked statutory authorization to adopt binding regulations on mail-in voting.
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The practical consequence is direct. If the USPS proposal were implemented, states that refused to provide required mail-ballot information could see ballots withheld. Postmaster General David Steiner told a Senate committee that under the proposed rule, USPS would not deliver ballots for states that failed to provide the required manifest, while defending the policy as a way to ensure ballots are sent securely and accurately.
The White House has defended the executive order as a lawful election-integrity measure and said it expects to prevail.
For voters, the issue is not just paperwork. It is whether a federal postal rule can condition ballot delivery on state cooperation with a presidential election directive that a federal court has already blocked.
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