The U.S. Supreme Court rejected Trump’s bid to limit mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections | Today’s news
In a major setback for President Donald Trump, the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected his bid to limit mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections, the Associated Press reported.
The decision came amid a series of last-minute legal challenges to President Trump’s proposed restrictions. Trump opposed postal voting and also blamed the method for his 2020 defeat of Joe Biden.
Mail-in ballots accounted for nearly a third of the votes cast in the US, according to an AP report.
While the Supreme Court majority did not explain its reasoning, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented from the brief.
What was Trump’s postal vote plan?
The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to allow restrictions requiring states to adopt a uniform envelope style and submit a list of eligible voters to an online portal.
Under the plan, the Postal Service could refuse to deliver ballots from non-compliant states.
The administration argued that federal control of the Postal Service gave it the authority to set rules for handling mail-in ballots and that states could comply.
But the whistleblower’s report said demands on postal services could lead to millions of postal ballots not being sent because the online portal was not built properly. She also warned that a single error in the bar code could result in the entire batch of ballots being thrown out.
Election officials warn of disruption
Election officials argued that there wasn’t enough time to conduct a complete review of mail-in voting procedures midterms ago.
Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin had already begun sending ballots to voters within the previous week, while the proposed new system was not yet live.
The restrictions could have a particularly significant impact in Washington and Oregon, where ballots are sent exclusively by mail.
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said election workers could continue to prepare for the election without having to change existing processes to meet what he described as “unrealistic ballot requirements.”
Justices are divided over Trump’s restrictions
In his dissent, Justice Alito said the Postal Service “has broad authority to regulate the mail” and likely has the authority to enforce Trump’s proposed restrictions.
Judge Brett Kavanaugh agreed that the restrictions should not go into effect in the midterms, but indicated he might side with the Trump administration if the matter comes back to court later.
Democratic state officials and voting rights groups challenged the restrictions, arguing that the president lacked the constitutional authority to impose election rules that could “virtually eliminate mail-in voting on the eve of a major election.”
Lower courts have blocked Trump’s plan, including through a preliminary injunction issued by a judge appointed by the president.
The management subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court. Judges have previously issued procedural rulings in favor of the federal government, but have not ruled on the legality of the restrictions.
