A proposed rule from the U.S. Postal Service aimed at bolstering election security has received pushback from Democrats.
The proposal seeks to “apply uniform standards for the mailing of absentee ballots to and from voters, which the Postal Service understands will facilitate the faithful execution of federal law.”
Under the rule, states would “notify the Postal Service of the individuals to whom they are mailing a mail-in or absentee ballot, along with the unique barcode applied to the outbound and return ballot mail envelope for such individuals such that the name and barcode of the voter will be included on a Mail-In and Absentee Participation List.” States may “add to or modify the list of enrollees until the last day that ballots may be mailed out to individuals under state law.”
The proposed rule also allows the Postal Service to provide a state-specific “Mail-In and Absentee Participation List for each state compiling the names of all enrolled individuals in such state, along with the barcodes associated with such individuals’ mail-in or absentee ballots.”
The rulemaking aligns with an order signed by President Trump. The order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, alongside the Social Security Administration, to compile a list of confirmed U.S. citizens who will be eligible to vote at the time of the next federal election, a White House fact sheet explains. The Postmaster General is to launch a proposed rulemaking process wherein outbound ballot mail is marked as Official Election Mail and has a unique mail barcode that aids in its tracking.
Speaking on behalf of Democrat-led states, California’s Deputy Attorney General, Michael Cohen, “It’s just difficult to overstate the disruption that this will cause to election administration.”
