The U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has proposed new regulations that would mandate states to submit voter-level data for mail-in ballots in federal elections. This comes shortly after a federal judge declined to block President Trump's executive order aimed at tightening mail-in voting rules.
Under the proposed rule, states would need to provide USPS with the names and addresses of voters receiving mail-in ballots, along with unique barcodes for tracking. This initiative aims to enhance transparency by allowing officials to compare the number of ballots mailed against those returned, thereby identifying potential issues.
The rule would apply to general, special, and runoff federal elections, but not to primaries or ballots for military and overseas voters. This marks a shift from USPS merely recommending practices to enforcing them, as it would require official logos, tracking barcodes, and a reporting system linking voters to their ballots.
The proposal is set to be published in the Federal Register on June 2, with public comments due 30 days later. The move has drawn criticism from Democrats and voting rights advocates, who argue it could hinder mail-in voting and encroach on states' rights to manage elections.
The implications of this proposal could lead to further legal challenges and debates over election integrity and access to voting