A US judge on Thursday declines to block President Donald Trump’s executive order tightening rules on mail-in voting, rejecting a bid by Democratic plaintiffs who argued the measures could disenfranchise millions of voters. The ruling arrives as Republicans face a closely contested fight to keep control of both houses of Congress in the November midterm elections.
The executive order, signed on March 31, directs the administration to compile lists of confirmed US citizens eligible to vote in each state and to use federal data to support state election officials’ eligibility verification. It also instructs the US Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters whose names appear on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list. In addition, the order requires states to preserve election-related records for five years.
The Democratic-led challenge contended that the changes would restrict access to mail-in ballots. The judge’s decision means the executive order can move forward while the litigation continues. Sources also note Trump has previously promoted unsubstantiated claims about the 2020 election and has criticized voting by mail.
