Second federal judge blocks Trump’s mail-in voting rules

A second federal judge late Sunday night blocked the Trump administration’s new rule on mail-in voting, temporarily barring the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) from implementing the new requirements ahead of November’s midterm elections.

The order comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is still considering the administration’s emergency request to overturn another court ruling blocking the same rule, leaving the fate of mail-in voting in the upcoming elections an open legal battle.

The USPS rule requires mail-in ballots to carry unique barcode codes for each voter. Election officials — including Republican county officials in Missouri — have said implementation in time for the November elections is impossible.

On the other hand, Republican attorneys general defend the rules as “common-sense reforms” for mail-in voting integrity, while the White House says the proposals were made months ago and officials had sufficient time to prepare.

With the latest ruling, the legal battle over the new voting rules is expected to continue until a final decision by the federal courts.

Source: Reuters