League of Women Voters challenge decision on ruling for mail-in voting

MOORHEAD, Minn. (KVRR) — Early this month, the United States Postal Service issued a ruling that would establish national standards for absentee and mail-in ballots in federal elections. In response to the ruling, the League of Women Voters challenged the decision through a suit filed in the US District Court for the District of Massachusetts

“This executive order is plainly unconstitutional, yet the US Postal Service and the Department of Homeland Security are actively working to implement it. Their actions are causing chaos and interfering with the vital work that nonpartisan voting rights groups are doing to prepare for the coming elections. As we made clear in court, implementation of this order also threatens to disenfranchise untold numbers of American citizens, including elderly, disabled, and student voters and voters of color who rely on mail-in balloting.”

The ruling would require the Department of Homeland Security to provide the USPS with lists of voters eligible to receive mail-in ballots. USPS would verify that ballots are only sent to voters on the list. The lists would have been required to be sent back to the state election officials by September 4th.

And on Friday, a federal court judge declared the order was unconstitutional and blocked it.

“This ruling is a critical step in preserving free and fair elections. The court rightly recognized that the President and the executive branch lack both the legal authority and the capacity to compile a complete and accurate list of US citizens or eligible voters in every state. The ruling also rightly recognizes that the US Postal Service has no authority to limit the distribution of mail ballots.”

The plaintiffs in the court filing were 23 states, including Minnesota.