Trump’s Mail-In Voting Order Stalls as States Proceed with Ballots

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the United States Postal Service to withhold ballot delivery in any state that does not grant the federal government access to its voter rolls. The order is currently tied up in court, preventing immediate enforcement. Despite the pending litigation, Wisconsin and North Carolina began mailing ballots to voters last week, and a further nine states are slated to do so over the next two weeks. Election officials say the timing makes a last-minute Supreme Court intervention unlikely and would create unprecedented disruption to the electoral process.

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Ben Hovland, senior fellow for democracy at the Center for American Progress, warned that allowing the order to take effect would be “outrageous” and could constitute a “break-glass moment for our democracy” “It would be so outrageous to try to let this go into effect,” — Ben Hovland. He added that the president’s push could discourage voter participation and provide a pretext for unfounded challenges to election results.

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Don Millis, a Republican who chairs the Wisconsin Elections Commission, told a report that Wisconsin clerks lack any practical way to comply with the president’s directive, and that the effort may hurt Republican turnout more than Democratic turnout.

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Arizona Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly expressed frustration, saying, “I wish that I could tell my constituents to not worry,” “I wish that I could tell my constituents to not worry,” — Arizona Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly and noted that the surge in voter calls has left her office unable to provide clear answers.

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Rich Cooper, elections manager in Clark County, Washington, echoed voter anxiety, stating, “The biggest thing they want to know is if things are going to change,” “The biggest thing they want to know is if things are going to change,” — Rich Cooper, elections manager in Clark County, Washington, similarly and acknowledging that officials cannot yet assure voters about rule changes.

Common Dreams

• “It would be so outrageous to try to let this go into effect,” — Ben Hovland, senior fellow for democracy, Center for American Progress “It would be so outrageous to try to let this go into effect,” — Ben Hovland

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• “The biggest thing they want to know is if things are going to change,” — Rich Cooper, elections manager, Clark County, Washington “The biggest thing they want to know is if things are going to change,” — Rich Cooper, elections manager in Clark County, Washington, similarly

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• “I wish that I could tell my constituents to not worry,” — Gabriella Cázares-Kelly, Arizona Recorder “I wish that I could tell my constituents to not worry,” — Arizona Recorder Gabriella Cázares-Kelly

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