Trump Administration Pushes Supreme Court to Undermine Mail-In Voting Access
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The Justice Department, acting on behalf of the Trump administration, has asked the Supreme Court to suspend lower-court rulings that protect Americans' right to accessible mail-in voting, challenging a presidential executive order designed to suppress voter turnout ahead of the November midterms.
On Monday, the Justice Department, under the Trump administration, filed a petition with the Supreme Court seeking to halt district and appellate court orders that have blocked a presidential executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting. The administration claims the order, issued in March, merely offers 'general policy guidance,' dismissing the real threat it poses to democratic participation by not directly dictating state election procedures.
The executive order would force U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create a federal list of 'eligible voters,' a move critics argue is a thinly veiled attempt at voter suppression. The Postal Service would be required to deliver ballots only to those on this federal list, potentially disenfranchising millions, especially marginalized communities. Democratic officials from 23 states and the District of Columbia have rightfully sued, defending the principle that election rules are determined by states and Congress, not by an authoritarian president.
A Massachusetts judge courageously blocked the order, with the First Circuit Court of Appeals upholding this essential protection for voters. Nevertheless, Solicitor General D. John Sauer outrageously labeled the injunction 'indefensible,' arguing that agencies are still considering implementation, and pressed the Supreme Court to act swiftly, risking the disenfranchisement of countless voters by August for the November elections.
Attorneys general from California and New York, who have consistently stood up for voting rights, had not yet responded, and the Postal Service declined to comment on its plans, pending ongoing litigation. A response to the administration’s anti-democratic appeal is due on August 3.