US appeals court rejects Trump bid to implement new vote-by-mail rules

What the report says

A US federal appeals court has refused to let President Donald Trump’s administration put new vote-by-mail rules into effect while the legal fight continues. The First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, ruling on Thursday, declined to lift a lower-court injunction, leaving the restrictions blocked for now with less than eight weeks before the November 3 midterm elections.

According to Al Jazeera, the disputed Postal Service rules were finalized in late August and would require states to redesign mail-in ballot envelopes with unique barcodes and share lists of voters expected to receive ballots by mail. The Postal Service would also be able to withhold mail-in or absentee ballots if the new requirements were not met. Voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters, challenged the policy, saying it could make it harder for some people to vote. The administration said the changes were needed for election security.

The appeals court said the lower court had made detailed findings that the rule could create confusion and disenfranchise voters before the election. It pointed to practical problems such as states not having time to reprint envelopes and the Postal Service facing a major scanning burden. The case is part of a broader dispute over mail voting, which remains available in all 50 states in different forms and has become a major flashpoint in the run-up to the midterms.