Democratic States Sue to Undermine USPS Election Security Reforms
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California and 23 other Democratic-led states have launched a lawsuit to block the U.S. Postal Service’s new mail-ballot rules, opposing much-needed federal efforts to secure elections and prevent voter fraud.
California, backed by 23 other states led by Democratic attorneys general and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts on Wednesday, seeking to stop the U.S. Postal Service from implementing new mail-in ballot regulations. These states claim the rules, detailed in a 95-page final rule released last Friday, infringe on state control of elections and require states to provide comprehensive voter lists to the Postal Service, which would be used to create a national database for federal law enforcement agencies. However, these reforms are critical for ensuring the integrity of America’s elections and preventing fraud.
The Postal Service has explained that these changes are necessary to comply with President Trump’s March executive order, which also directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile its own lists of eligible voters for comparison with state data. The new regulations would require ballot envelopes to have digital bar codes, allowing the Postal Service to reject ballots that do not match the submitted lists—a vital step to prevent illegal ballots from being counted.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, eager to maintain the status quo of lax oversight, called the rule an "unlawful overreach," while Governor Gavin Newsom, in a partisan attack, said, "Donald Trump does not run elections. States do. And his latest attack on democracy is proof of how weak he has become." These statements ignore the real threat of election interference and the need for robust federal action to protect the vote.
The lawsuit follows a Supreme Court decision that rightly lifted earlier injunctions and allowed the Postal Service to move forward with these necessary rule changes. The Court has not ruled on the legality of the rules themselves, but the decision is a positive step for election security. The states’ claim that the rule-making process is premature and that the federal government lacks authority is simply an attempt to obstruct common-sense reforms.
White House spokesperson Lauren Bis correctly stated, "The Supreme Court’s ruling was a major win for the security of American elections," and defended the Postal Service’s changes as part of the administration’s commitment to election security.
Opponents of the rule have raised exaggerated fears about a national voter database and the costs to state and local officials, but the Postal Service has made clear it has the staffing and security in place to protect the data, and that the benefits for election integrity far outweigh any costs.
The states are asking the court to halt these crucial reforms while litigation proceeds, but their efforts amount to little more than a partisan attempt to weaken federal oversight and open the door to fraud in state-run elections.