A US appeals court has refused to let the Trump administration implement new mail-in voting rules before the November 3 midterm elections. The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, Massachusetts, on Thursday declined to lift an injunction issued by a lower court last week.
The rules, finalised by the US Postal Service in late August, would require states to redesign mail-in ballots and provide lists of voters expected to receive them. The Postal Service could refuse to transmit ballots that failed to meet the standards or involved voters absent from those lists.
Why the court kept the injunction in place
The appeals court affirmed parts of the lower-court ruling by US District Judge Indira Talwani. It cited findings that immediate implementation could create chaos before the election, including difficulties for states trying to produce compliant envelopes and the need to scan tens of millions of ballot envelopes.
The court also noted that the Postal Service would face a major operational task using a digital portal that is not yet functional. It said there was no contrary evidence disputing the lower court’s findings.
Key points
- The First Circuit cited the risk of confusion and widespread disenfranchisement if the rules took effect immediately.
- A federal judge found some states could not reprint compliant ballot envelopes in time.
- The Postal Service’s digital portal for scanning ballot envelopes is not yet functional.
- The US Supreme Court is considering a similar request from the administration.
What each side argued
A coalition of voting-rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, challenged the rules. The groups argued that the requirements could disenfranchise people who rely on mail-in ballots.
The Justice Department argued that the rules were needed for election security and said the case rested on an unfounded assumption that the Postal Service intended to take over election administration. The administration said state election officials would retain control over who may vote by mail, while the Postal Service would check whether ballot envelopes met the new design requirements. Related coverage: US Postal Service prepares restricted mail voting rules.
The wider legal dispute
The Supreme Court is weighing the administration’s emergency request to intervene after lifting an earlier injunction last month. A separate lawsuit has also been filed by 24 states and the District of Columbia.
The dispute follows President Donald Trump’s March executive order calling for tighter rules on voting by mail. Election administration is assigned to the states under the US Constitution, and the legal fight has continued for weeks.
What happens next
The Supreme Court is currently considering a similar request from the Trump administration, while the First Circuit’s decision leaves the lower-court injunction in place. Read the context: Trump asks Supreme Court to reinstate mail-in voting restrictions ahead of November elections.
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