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Over 20 Democratic-led states are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to block President Donald Trump's new limits on mail-in ballots. The Trump administration wants the federal government to control mail voting via the U.S. Postal Service by requiring lists of eligible voters. The states argue that it's too late in the election year to introduce new regulations, which could lead to errors and disenfranchisement, especially for voters with disabilities and those in rural areas.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the Supreme Court is expected to decide soon whether to allow the Trump administration's plan to proceed. President Trump claims that mail voting leads to fraud, and his executive order requires the U.S. Postal Service to use state-specific lists to determine who can vote by mail.
However, a federal judge and the 1st Circuit Court in Boston have blocked the enforcement of these regulations in the 23 Democratic-led states that sued. Democracy Docket reports that these states argue the changes would create chaos and disenfranchise millions of voters. The Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration were also ordered to create lists of verified U.S. citizens eligible to vote.
The Trump administration's emergency appeal to the Supreme Court argues that the lower courts acted prematurely. Votebeat notes that the Supreme Court's decision could come at any time, but with less than 100 days until the midterm elections, implementing these changes seems unlikely. The court's ruling will determine if the federal government can impose these new voting rules before the upcoming elections.