Washington — A federal appeals court has upheld a decision to block the Trump administration’s new mail ballot rules ahead of the midterm elections. This decision comes as the case moves through the courts, including a stop at the Supreme Court.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals, consisting of a three-judge panel, issued a nine-page opinion on Thursday. The judges wrote that the new rule proposed by the U.S. Postal Service could lead to chaos and widespread voter disenfranchisement
in the upcoming November elections.
The judges noted that President Trump has consistently claimed large-scale fraud in mail voting, but found no evidence in the record to support such claims. They warned that implementing the rule might result in disenfranchisement of millions of voters across the country while providing minimal gains in combating voter fraud.
The panel included Judges Gustavo A. Gelpí, Julie Rikelman, and Seth Aframe, all of whom were appointed by President Joe Biden. They asserted that the appellants didn’t convincingly show why the district court’s ruling was erroneous.
Judge Indira Talwani had previously issued a preliminary injunction, stopping the Postal Service from enforcing its rule. The administration appealed to both the First Circuit and the Supreme Court, though the Supreme Court has yet to respond to the request for a stay of the injunction.
The blocked rule required certain design specifications for mail ballots, including unique barcodes. It necessitated the use of an online portal for states and localities to register details about residents voting by mail. These details would be part of the Mail-In and Absentee Participation Lists.
According to the Postal Service, any ballot mailings not meeting the new requirements would not be accepted. This could potentially return non-compliant mailings to election offices. The Trump administration sought intervention from the Supreme Court for the third time, arguing that the new regulation was within the Postal Service’s legal authority.
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