US judge blocks Trump administration’s bid to restrict mail-in voting
Summary
A federal judge in Boston blocked a Trump administration rule that would require the postal service to track and possibly reject mail-in ballots if states did not share their voter lists with federal officials. The judge said this rule was unconstitutional because the president cannot create new powers over election rules without Congress.Key Facts
- The Trump administration issued an executive order on March 31 requiring the postal service to track mail-in ballots using barcodes linked to citizenship data.
- US District Judge Indira Talwani ruled this order unconstitutional and blocked its enforcement.
- The plan would have denied mail-in ballots to states that refused to share their voter rolls with the federal government.
- President Trump is pushing Congress to pass new laws imposing voter ID rules and limiting mail-in voting.
- Voting rights groups and 23 states plus Washington, D.C. sued to stop the rule, arguing the president has no authority over election administration.
- During a Senate hearing, Democratic senators questioned the postmaster general about the legality of the proposed rule.
- The postal service had proposed that states submit voter lists with barcodes 30 days before elections, and mail-in ballots not matching would be rejected.
- The judge’s order allows states to voluntarily share data but prohibits the federal government from forcing or controlling state voter lists or punishing states over election administration.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.