Overview
- A three-judge panel of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals declined on Thursday to lift a lower-court injunction, keeping key parts of the USPS rule barred through the November midterm elections.
- The Postal Service’s final rule would have required unique Intelligent Mail barcodes on outbound and return ballot envelopes and forced states to upload voter‑specific mail lists to a USPS portal that is not yet operational.
- An Office of Inspector General audit and state election data showed mishandling, training gaps, and a sharp rise in ballots rejected for late postmarks in Washington and Oregon, which judges cited as evidence the rule is unworkable on the compressed timeline.
- The Trump administration has renewed emergency appeals to the U.S. Supreme Court arguing the rule is lawful and needed for election security, while many state and local election officials are mailing ballots early, adding drop boxes, and planning alternate distribution to protect voter access.
- The dispute raises a constitutional question about federal power over state-run elections under the Elections Clause and could set a precedent about post‑November federal involvement in how ballots are designed and delivered.