US appeals court keeps block on Trump mail-voting rules
The First Circuit Court of Appeals cited potential confusion, voter disenfranchisement and operational difficulties before November’s midterm elections.
A US appeals court has refused to lift an injunction blocking the Trump administration’s new requirements for mail-in voting, leaving the rules in limbo less than eight weeks before the 3 November midterm elections.
The First Circuit Court of Appeals cited potential confusion and operational problems, including concerns that some states could not reprint compliant envelopes. It also referred to the Postal Service facing the task of scanning tens of millions of ballot envelopes through a digital portal described as not yet functional.
The rules, finalised by the US Postal Service in August, would require unique barcodes on mail-in ballots and lists of voters due to receive them. The Postal Service would be permitted to refuse mail-outs or ballots that did not meet the standards or involved voters absent from submitted lists.
Voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, argued the requirements could disenfranchise people who rely on mail-in voting. The Trump administration maintains that the changes are necessary for election security and says state officials would retain control over eligibility and election administration.
The case is part of a wider legal dispute involving 24 states and the District of Columbia. The Supreme Court is considering a similar request, meaning the First Circuit’s decision does not finally determine the rules’ status. Al Jazeera reported that all US states allow some form of mail-in voting, while eight conduct elections entirely by mail.
