Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 2

Alabama AG Defends USPS Mail-Ballot Order Against 25 Democratic States as 1-Week Restraining Order Holds

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Sep 2

Alabama AG Defends USPS Mail-Ballot Order Against 25 Democratic States as 1-Week Restraining Order Holds

Q: With millions already spent on non-compliant envelopes, who will bear the financial burden if the new postal rules take effect?

State and local election officials would likely bear most of the immediate cost unless a court blocks the rule or new funding is provided. The record in the Boston case shows that jurisdictions have already spent heavily on ballot materials that may no longer comply. Massachusetts officials alone reportedly spent more than $3 million on envelopes that would have to be replaced under the new USPS design and barcode requirements. Court filings from the states say they would also have to pay to redesign envelopes, secure USPS review and approval, update data systems, train staff, and educate voters, all on a compressed timeline. Nothing in the materials provided indicates that USPS or the federal government would reimburse those expenses. Challenging states argue the rule imposes “significant, irreparable harm” precisely because it shifts these administrative and financial burdens onto states and, in practice, counties and municipal clerks that run elections. That means the burden would likely cascade downward: states would absorb some costs directly, but many expenses would fall on local election offices and their vendors, especially smaller jurisdictions with limited budgets. If those governments cannot absorb the costs, voters could face indirect consequences through disruptions, delays, or reduced capacity in mail-ballot administration.

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 2

Steve Marshall backed the Trump administration’s mail-ballot order ahead of Thursday’s Boston hearing, arguing USPS ballot-tracking and federal voter-roll checks are needed to keep noncitizens from receiving absentee ballots.
The challenge comes from 25 Democratic attorneys general seeking to block the order, which would let DHS and the Social Security Administration help states verify voter rolls before ballots are mailed.
Judge Indira Talwani has already issued a restraining order lasting up to 1 more week, saying the plan risks disenfranchisement and could use likely unconstitutional means to address an unsubstantiated problem.
Marshall said Alabama has documented voter-fraud cases and argued barcoded, trackable ballots would link each mailed ballot to the voter who received it rather than prevent lawful absentee voting.
The dispute lands as midterm mail voting begins, with the Trump administration already asking the First Circuit to stay Talwani’s order while a broader injunction fight unfolds.