Source
—
Postmaster General David Steiner told senators Wednesday that the U.S. Postal Service would stop delivering mail ballots in states that refuse to provide voter registration data to the federal government under a proposed rule directed by President Donald Trump.
Steiner made the remarks during a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing while defending the proposal, which the administration says is intended to ensure absentee ballots are delivered only to eligible voters.
“If a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this … rule?” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked Steiner.
“Under our proposed regulation, no,” Steiner replied.
Trump signed an executive order in March directing the Postal Service to develop a rule requiring states to provide lists of eligible voters at least 60 days before federal elections. The order is part of the administration’s effort to combat suspected mail-in voter fraud.
Democrats questioned both the legality of the proposal and the Postal Service’s role in election administration, arguing that the Constitution gives states primary responsibility for conducting elections.
Steiner acknowledged that the Postal Service does not administer elections but described the proposal as a procedural safeguard.
“I would think that states would want the information to ensure that the ballots that they think they’re sending out are the ballots that are actually getting sent out,” he said.
Steiner also said the Postal Service would comply with any court orders governing voting by mail.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., criticized the proposal and urged Steiner not to allow the agency to become involved in what she characterized as an improper expansion of federal authority over elections.
“Please push back on being a pawn in this authoritarian playbook,” Slotkin told Steiner. “The Postal Service is one of the most important institutions in our country. Don’t taint it with the obsession of this one man.”
The administration has argued that the proposed rule would strengthen confidence in mail voting by ensuring absentee ballots are sent only to eligible voters.
Under Trump’s executive order, the Postal Service must issue a final rule by the end of July. The proposal is currently undergoing a 30-day public comment period that began earlier this month.
