All articles tagged with #mail in ballots
The Justice Department charged Damon Matai Seei, a former Utah postal worker, with destroying over 300 mail-in ballots in a church dumpster during the June primary. While Seei pleaded not guilty and claimed he acted out of laziness, officials used the case to advocate for stricter mail-in voting regulations.
A former Utah postal worker faces federal charges for discarding over 300 mail-in ballots in a church dumpster during the June primary. While the defendant claims he acted out of 'laziness' to lighten his workload, the Justice Department used the case to advocate for stricter mail-in voting rules and criticize court blocks on those regulations.
A 34-year-old USPS employee in Utah has been charged with destroying approximately 300 mail-in ballots during the June 2026 primary. The worker admitted to discarding the ballots in a dumpster out of frustration and laziness, not political motive. Federal officials announced the charges in Washington, D.C., emphasizing election integrity ahead of the November midterms.
A Utah postal worker dumped 300 mail-in ballots into a parking-lot trash before the state’s June primary, saying he acted out of frustration and laziness; he pleaded not guilty to destruction and delay of mail, as federal officials stress election-integrity efforts amid ongoing voting-law prosecutions.
President Donald Trump condemned the Supreme Court after it blocked a USPS rule on mail-in ballots for the upcoming midterms, calling the outcome a 'big loss' for Republicans and accusing Democrats of enabling cheating on mail ballots; the rule would have tightened ballot envelope standards and required states to map eligible voters, but the majority blocked its implementation, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh noting possible legality but insufficient time to apply the rule.
The Supreme Court avoided ruling on the merits of the Trump administration’s plan to curb mail-ballot handling, granting only a procedural win while lower courts’ injunctions blocking the plan stay in place as elections near, leaving the legality of the limits unresolved.
The Supreme Court blocked the USPS’s mail-in ballot regulation from taking effect before the midterm elections, denying the administration’s emergency request in a 7-2 decision with two conservatives dissented. The rule would have required states to verify ballots and follow envelope-design directives, a move critics warned could cause disruption and disenfranchisement; while one judge suggested federal authority might exist, the court blocked implementation due to timing and potential impact.
Two federal judges have blocked the USPS's new mail-ballot rules for the upcoming election, with Judge Carl Nichols ruling Congress did not authorize the Postal Service to impose a federal voter portal or reject ballots under the new standards, following a Boston injunction by Judge Indira Talwani. The White House would not say if it will appeal, while the NAACP urged the Court to leave mail voting intact as the Supreme Court weighs Talwani's injunction. The rulings highlight ongoing legal battles over mail voting even as some jurisdictions prepare for the changes and warnings about envelope design, portal accuracy, and potential ballot rejection.
Heather Cox Richardson highlights J. Michael Luttig's warning in The New Republic that Republicans could try to deny seating Democrats after the 2026 midterms, potentially triggering a constitutional crisis involving the House clerk, the courts, and possibly the Supreme Court; she also notes related pressures from USPS ballot issues, DOJ letters to election officials, and rising white-nationalist sentiment among some younger GOP staff, arguing Republicans must defend democracy over loyalty to Trump.
An inspector general audit found USPS facilities mishandled some ballots during this year’s primaries, citing staff training gaps, ballot-tracking deficiencies, and errors that could delay or misdate postmarks; despite about 99% of tracked ballots reaching election officials on time, the flaws raise concerns about USPS readiness for the November vote and potential impacts of new voting rules under consideration by the Supreme Court.
A National News Desk poll asks whether the federal government should require citizenship verification before mail-in ballots are mailed to voters, highlighting a national debate over voter eligibility and election integrity as the U.S. approaches elections.
President Trump's aggressive stance against vote-by-mail and a series of conflicting court rulings have left voters confused while local election officials scramble to adapt contingency plans. Officials are reassuring ballots are safe but urging in‑person voting or use of drop boxes and cautioning against relying on the USPS as states prepare for the midterms, eight weeks out.
Wake County, NC will mail about 5,000 absentee ballots in the first wave as officials prepare for a midterm with heightened scrutiny of USPS practices and a Trump-linked order. Ballots go out with processing, testing, and guidance for military/overseas voters who can vote online; officials warn the return window could be tight if postmarks are delayed. The piece places state actions, legal challenges to postal/rules changes, and national warnings about potential ballot noncounting, noting USPS says postmark rules aren’t being altered but transportation tweaks could affect timing and urging voters to plan ahead.
North Carolina becomes the first state to mail absentee ballots for the November midterms, as the Trump administration pushes to revive USPS ballot-restriction rules; legal battles over data-sharing and new ballot-screening standards continue, creating uncertainty about whether changes can take effect before ballots go out.
North Carolina's State Board of Elections approved updated, non-permanent guidance for counting mail-in ballots just hours before ballots go out, including spoiling ballots if the inner envelope isn’t sealed, a signature mismatch, or more than one ballot in the return envelope; voters may be contacted for replacements, and in-person delivery remains limited to the voter or a near relative/guardian. The plan is to standardize counting while awaiting legislative review before becoming permanent, with deadlines to request absentee ballots by Oct. 20 and ballots due by 7:30 p.m. on Election Day, Nov. 3, plus BallotTrax tracking.