Twenty-four states and Washington, D.C., have gone to federal court seeking to stop new Postal Service requirements for mail ballots before the November midterms.
President Donald Trump directed the Postal Service in a March executive order to tighten requirements for handling mail ballots, and the agency later adopted the changes.
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The rule would create state-specific Postal Service lists using information supplied by election officials, including the names and addresses of voters set to receive mail ballots. It would also impose new envelope standards, including trackable bar codes.
USPS says decisions about voter eligibility, maintaining voter rolls and counting ballots would remain outside the agency.
The lawsuit argues that USPS is taking on election functions it has no legal authority to perform and that the changes could prevent some eligible voters from successfully casting mail ballots.
States say complying with the rule would require rapid changes to ballot materials and technology, along with new training for election workers and instructions for voters. The complaint also says ballot mail that does not meet the new requirements could be withheld from delivery.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta said election administration belongs to the states under the Constitution, not to the White House or Postal Service.
The White House called the changes “commonsense measures” and said they would strengthen mail-ballot security and ensure only eligible Americans vote.
The latest case follows a Supreme Court ruling that found the states had challenged Trump’s order too early. At the time, USPS had not yet adopted the final rule now at issue.
The ruling lifted the earlier block without deciding whether the final rule itself is legal.
The states are now seeking an injunction in Massachusetts federal court to keep the rule on hold while the case plays out.
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