The Trump administration is facing a fresh legal challenge from Democratic attorneys general in 23 states over the president’s plan to give the U.S. Postal Service unprecedented control over mail-in voting.
The states are seeking an emergency order blocking a Postal Service rule issued Friday that would allow the agency to help establish voter lists and withhold ballots from voters the administration deems ineligible, Politico reported.
The legal filing Wednesday comes as states nationwide prepare to begin distributing the first mail-in ballots next week for the upcoming midterm elections.
“Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “The USPS has no authority to decide who can and cannot vote by mail. This new policy will just create confusion, unnecessary costs, and unacceptable risks for voters going into Election Day.”
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts by states including California, Nevada, Washington and Illinois, follows an earlier challenge that the Supreme Court dismissed as premature, according to Politico. A judge in a separate case has already temporarily blocked the policy from taking effect, the outlet noted.
“Meanwhile, Democratic Party groups pursuing their own suit over Trump’s order have asked a federal judge in Washington to block the new postal directive,” Politico said. “U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, a Trump appointee, asked both sides to propose a schedule by the close of business Wednesday.”
Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting and claimed without evidence that it is riddled with fraud. But his attempts to reshape voting systems across the country have largely stalled in court.