Illinois joined approximately 24 other states to confront President Donald Trump’s attempt to integrate the U.S. Postal Service into the election system. They sought court intervention to block Trump’s plan to make the Postal Service the decisive player in mail-in ballot processing weeks before midterms.
The Postal Service, under the president’s directive, published guidelines requiring states to provide lists of eligible voters for mail-in ballots and to obtain approval for envelope design and tracking standards. If voters are not on this list, they would not receive ballots. Additionally, ballots in non-approved envelopes would not be delivered.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul stated, “The rule I am challenging today is yet another unlawful attempt by the Trump administration to control state voting systems.” Raoul emphasized the urgency, saying they seek emergency relief because the administration is undermining citizens’ voting rights during crucial pre-election weeks.
The filing took place less than a month before Illinois’ scheduled mail voting start on Sept. 24. Previously, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an identical challenge from these states to Trump’s Postal Service instructions issued in a March presidential executive order. The Court termed the lawsuit by states premature since the Postal Service hadn’t enacted Trump’s order. Yet, it permitted states to challenge if the final rule became harmful.
The states argue that determining voter qualification is a state law question, including whether a ballot will be processed. The Constitution states that states primarily manage elections unless preempted by Congress, which handles election ‘manner’. This lawsuit underlines that Congress doesn’t grant USPS any federal election or mail voting rule-setting authority.
President Trump has expressed strong disapproval regarding mail-in voting, despite his regular use of it. He has claimed, without evidence, that fraud related to mailed ballots resulted in his 2020 election defeat to Joe Biden. The lawsuit argues, “One need not look further than the White House to explain USPS’s unprecedented and unlawful conduct,” referencing Trump’s opposition as aiming to ‘get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS’.
Constitutionally, neither the President nor USPS can legislate federal elections or mail voting rules. Trump has, according to this lawsuit, claimed unwarranted presidential election authority. The suit indicates Trump has falsely portrayed states as mere agents that must comply with the president’s voting regulations.
The challenge contends Trump’s Postal Service rule breaches the federal Voting Rights Act and laws safeguarding privacy and mail delivery. In the 2024 general election, nearly 1 million out of Illinois’ 5.7 million votes were mail-in, and nearly twice that number during the 2020 pandemic period.