The envelope Leon County, Florida, planned to use to mail ballots to thousands of voters was initially rejected by the Postal Service for the smallest of discrepancies: 0.014 inches.
Mark Earley, the county’s supervisor of elections, voluntarily submitted the envelope to be prepared in case the Supreme Court allows the Trump administration’s disputed mail-voting rules to take effect.
The rules are on hold pending a Supreme Court review, and a decision is expected soon.
The Postal Service’s new rules would require election officials to submit ballot-envelope designs for review. During their review, postal officials initially rejected Earley’s envelope because it didn’t meet the required 0.25 inch of clear space around the words “Return Service Requested.” The space measured 0.236 inches — a difference of just 0.014 inches, Earley said Friday.
There was no time to reprint envelopes, Earley said, so he scrambled to appeal to higher-ups. “They finally relented and approved my envelopes.”
Earley said the ballots are used by about a third of voters in his county.
The new requirements — including the envelope specifications — remain blocked by federal courts. President Donald Trump’s administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow them to take effect and is awaiting that decision.
Earley said the confusing episode offered a preview of the chaos election officials could face if Trump’s new rules take effect.
“There’s zero chance this will work, which hopefully means there’s zero chance the Supreme Court is going to let it go into action,” he said.
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