Court Halts Postal Service Ballot Rule for Two Weeks

A federal judge in Boston has temporarily stopped a new Postal Service regulation that would impose specific design and barcode requirements on mail-in ballots. The judge ruled that the states challenging the rule are likely to prove it unconstitutional and beyond the agency's authority. The 14-day block comes as some states are about to send out absentee ballots for the November midterms.

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The temporary restraining order extends past the start of absentee ballot distribution in several states, which the judge cited as evidence that compliance would be practically impossible for the upcoming midterms. The rule, published in the Federal Register just one day before the ruling, would have required election officials to share voter rolls with the Postal Service and mandated specific ballot markings, including a unique logo and barcode tied to ZIP codes.

This marks the second court intervention in the dispute. The Supreme Court's Monday decision lifting an earlier injunction determined that the initial challenge was filed prematurely, prompting the new lawsuit from Democratic-led states and voting rights organizations. Judge Talwani, an Obama appointee, had previously found the administration violated her earlier order, and she now concludes the challengers are likely to prove the rule exceeds the Postal Service's legal authority.

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