The United States Postal Service (USPS) has proposed a new rule requiring states to provide their mail-in and absentee voter rolls to the agency. This proposal aligns with an executive order issued by President Donald Trump in March aimed at tightening regulations on mail-in voting in federal elections.
Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has focused on election integrity, signing several executive orders to enforce proof of citizenship and address concerns about mail-in voting fraud. These efforts have faced legal challenges, including rulings against proof of citizenship requirements, while some Democratic states have filed lawsuits regarding the mail-in voting order.
The USPS's proposed rule outlines a process for states and the postal service to agree on a list of voters eligible to receive mail-in and absentee ballots. This includes creating a “Mail-In and Absentee Participation List” as requested by Trump. States would need to submit a list of voters requesting mail-in ballots, along with personalized barcodes for each ballot. The USPS would then provide a final list to each state's chief election official to confirm the enrolled voters and their associated barcodes.
According to the proposal, this provision aims to ensure compliance with federal law and assist law enforcement in monitoring mail-in voting. It states that the lists will help track how many ballots have been mailed and allow for comparisons with the number of ballots received, potentially identifying issues that may require further investigation.
The USPS issued the proposed rule on May 29, following a ruling by District Judge Carl J. Nichols, who denied a request from Democratic plaintiffs to block the executive order related to mail-in voting. The plaintiffs have appealed this ruling, leaving the USPS proposal in a state of legal uncertainty.