US judge again halts Trump mail ballot rule
SCMP · 2 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
A US federal judge in Boston on Thursday temporarily blocked the US Postal Service from enforcing key parts of a new rule adopted to carry out President Donald Trump’s plan to tighten mail-in voting requirements ahead of the November congressional elections. Judge Indira Talwani issued the temporary restraining order after Democratic-led states and voting rights groups renewed their lawsuits following a recent US Supreme Court procedural ruling that had allowed the administration to move forward for now. The order is set to remain in place while Talwani considers whether to grant a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, with a hearing scheduled for September 3. The dispute comes just as the first mail ballots are due to be sent out for the midterm elections, raising concerns from election officials about timing and compliance
Key Points
- Talwani, a US District Court judge in Boston appointed by Barack Obama, blocked implementation of the rule for now and set a September 3 hearing.
- The Postal Service rule requires states to provide lists of mail ballot recipients and to use outbound and return envelopes with unique bar codes
- Under the administration’s directive, the USPS says it will not deliver ballots unless states submit voter lists and format envelopes in the required way.
- The legal fight restarted after the Supreme Court’s conservative majority said Talwani had acted too soon, without deciding the order’s legality
- Nearly one-third of Americans vote by mail, while all 50 states allow some form of mail voting and eight conduct elections entirely by mail.
Why It Matters
For Hong Kong readers, the case shows how election administration in the US can become a major legal and political battleground even days before voting materials are mailed. It also matters because sudden rule changes affecting postal handling, voter lists and ballot envelopes can disrupt election logistics at scale, with the USPS saying it processed nearly 100 million mail ballots during the 2024 election