Changes to mail voting under the authority of the U.S. Postal Service — at the behest of President Donald Trump — remain blocked following the latest action taken by the Supreme Court on Monday, Sept. 14.
The Supreme Court has left a lower court’s order blocking the USPS from implementing changes to mail voting under a new rule unveiled earlier this year, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Monday.
Those changes would’ve required states to supply the USPS with lists of mail ballot recipients, and all outbound and return ballot envelopes must bear unique barcodes. Under the rule, the Postal Service may refuse to deliver ballots that do not comply with the new standards or are associated with voters who do not appear on the lists.
In California, mail voting is “the primary way elections are conducted,” according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
The Supreme Court’s decision comes just weeks before Californians begin receiving their vote-by-mail ballots for the November elections — Bonta has previously described Trump’s executive order that led to USPS’s new rule as a “desperate attempt” to change the outcome of an election that may see major gains for Democrats.
“Trump’s unlawful executive order remains BLOCKED, and Trump and the U.S. Postal Service will NOT be able to interfere with vote-by-mail ballots,” Bonta said on social media.
The decision comes just days after a federal appeals court denied the Trump administration’s request to pause the court order that blocked the “drastic, unprecedented, and unlawful changes to mail voting,” according to Bonta’s office.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that applying these changes would violate the Administrative Procedure Act "because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before elections."
Newsom reacts to Supreme Court ruling. What's next?
Gov. Gavin Newsom said Monday was a “good day for democracy, the rule of law, and the American people looking to exercise their Constitutional right to vote” in a social media post.
“The American people finally have certainty when it comes to our country’s electoral process: Voting is safe, vote-by-mail is accessible to any and all who need it,” Newsom said. “I encourage every Californian to make their voice heard this November.”
California Secretary of State Shirley N. Weber said that “the uncertainty is behind us” in a statement.
“Voters will be able to cast their ballots without uncertainty, without hesitation, and without fear that their voices will be questioned or their ballots rejected," Weber said.
County elections officials will begin mailing ballots by Oct. 5 to all registered voters in California.
Reuters contributed to this story.
Paris Barraza is a reporter covering Los Angeles and Southern California for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at pbarraza@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Vote ‘without uncertainty,’ California. USPS changes to remain halted
