Indira Talwani blocks new mail-ballot restrictions ahead of the midterms
US judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction blocking Postal Service rules implementing Donald Trump's mail-voting order. The administration said it would appeal. The restrictions require new voter lists and ballot-envelope procedures just as states begin mailing ballots. States can still adopt the system voluntarily, but none has announced plans to do so.
Geopolitics··Midday
A preliminary injunction replaces the temporary block
US District Judge Indira Talwani issued a preliminary injunction on Friday preventing the Postal Service from implementing President Donald Trump's mail-voting order. It replaced an earlier temporary block with a new injunction against mandatory enforcement before the November midterms. Talwani found the regulation incompatible with the Constitution and federal law. The administration told her it would appeal the new decision to the First Circuit.[1], [2]
Voter lists and envelope approval
The new rules required states to provide the US Postal Service, USPS, with the names and addresses of voters requesting mail ballots. Ballot-envelope designs also required approval, and each envelope needed a unique barcode. Talwani said imposing these requirements so close to the election threatened voting rights. Her order permits states to use the system voluntarily; no state has announced that it intends to join.[1], [2]
Ballots are already entering the mail
North Carolina began sending its first mail ballots on Friday. Election officials say they must dispatch millions of ballots under deadlines set by state law and have no time to rebuild their systems. The Supreme Court had previously lifted an injunction because it preceded the Postal Service's final regulation. After the rule was issued, plaintiffs renewed their challenges; Friday's decision addressed that finalized regulation.[1], [2]
