Federal Judge Blocks Trump Administration's Mail Voting Restrictions Ahead of Midterms
A federal judge has extended her ban on President Trump's executive order that aimed to restrict mail voting, replacing a temporary order with a preliminary injunction. This executive order, signed in March, mandated that states submit lists of eligible voters to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) via an online portal to prevent non-citizens from voting. Under this directive, the USPS could refuse to deliver ballots if the name on the envelope did not match the voter list. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) raised concerns about these restrictions after receiving a whistleblower letter. The whistleblower warned that the USPS was struggling to develop the online system, and that potential failures could lead to entire batches of blank ballots being returned before reaching voters, thereby jeopardizing the midterm elections. The administration is facing a tight timeline to implement these limitations as states, including North Carolina and Alabama, have begun or are scheduled to begin sending out mail ballots. 
