The Postal Service on Friday published regulations that would restrict mail voting, its latest effort to comply with President Trump’s call to restrict the popular practice just months before the midterm elections.
In a 95-page final rule, the Postal Service clarified how it would carry out an executive order Mr. Trump signed in March, which sought to restrict mail ballots and create state-by-state lists of citizens to help determine voting eligibility.
In the rule, the Postal Service said that it would deliver mail ballots only in states that shared voter data with the federal agency. Before the Postal Service accepts ballots into its system, the agency would review every envelope for compliance with the new standards, including by checking that the recipient was enrolled with the Postal Service to receive a mail ballot.
If the regulations are enacted, the Postal Service would not deliver mail ballots to states that do not comply.
Mr. Trump’s executive order was largely blocked by federal courts this summer, and the Postal Service said in its rule published on Friday that it would “not take actions to implement the rule specifically for the 2026 election unless and until the government obtains relief from those injunctions.” In a filing to the Supreme Court, the Justice Department said that the government would not enforce the final rule unless the Supreme Court ruled in its favor.
The Supreme Court is reviewing the issue and could rule at any time.
A Postal Service spokesman on Friday declined to comment, citing pending litigation.
Mr. Trump has repeatedly made unfounded claims that mail voting is “cheating,” even as he has voted by mail in multiple elections, including earlier this week.
The president has admitted that combating fraud is not the only reason to target the practice. In March, he told Republican lawmakers that passing a strict voter identification law cracking down on mail ballots, which Democrats now use more than Republicans, would “guarantee the midterms” for his party.
Ann E. Marimow contributed reporting.
The post Postal Service Publishes Finalized Plan to Restrict Mail Ballots appeared first on New York Times.
