Trump's USPS takeover opens up 'Pandora’s box of mischief': Voting rights advocates

Recent reports have indicated President Donald Trump intends to dissolve the board of governors for the U.S. Postal Service, strip the organization of its independence, and place it under direct control of the Department of the Treasury, with a possible eye toward privatizing the service — a move that could be against the law and that has Postal Service officials gearing up for a battle.

But there's another potential devastating consequence of Trump's planned move to dismantle and privatize the mail, wrote Jacob Knutson for the voting-rights group Democracy Docket: mail-in voting could be disrupted.

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"The move will likely be swiftly challenged as a violation of the Constitution and the Postal Reorganization Act, an almost 55-year-old law that states: 'The exercise of the power of the Postal Service shall be directed by a Board of Governors composed of 11 members,'" wrote Knutson. "However, if the executive order is upheld by courts — or if Trump ignores court orders against it — he would have immense power over mail delivery."

In that scenario, he wrote, Trump would have potential power "to make mail voting — which was used by tens of millions of voters last year — more difficult. Trump has repeatedly said he’d like to end the practice, falsely claiming it allows for widespread fraud."

Barbara Smith Warner, the executive director of the mail-in voting advocacy group National Vote at Home Institute, agreed, warning that “Taking over the Postal Service just kind of opens up a whole Pandora’s box of mischief.”

The USPS board, in anticipation of being dismissed, has already retained legal representation which is ready to sue to stop Trump's plan should he move through with the order, which as of last week he was reportedly considering releasing at any time.