The United States Postal Service (USPS) has put forth a proposed regulation that could prevent the delivery of mail-in ballots to voters in some states unless those states provide the USPS with lists of registered voters. The proposed rule, if enacted, would require states to share voter data with the Postal Service. A USPS representative, Steiner, indicated that the agency would demand a "manifest" of voters expected to receive ballots.
This potential requirement has sparked concern among Democrats, who view it as an attempt by President Donald Trump to exert federal authority over election processes. They argue that the rule coerces states into complying with new data-sharing requirements, with the consequence of potentially not receiving mail ballots for their constituents. President Trump has frequently made unsubstantiated claims about widespread fraud in mail-in voting.
Steiner, however, defended the proposed regulation, stating its aim is to "ensure that we match the ballots that a state believes they’re sending out to what actually gets sent out." He explained that the Postal Service would compare the state's list of intended recipients and ballots against actual mailings to verify that the correct ballots are dispatched. Steiner suggested that states would benefit from such oversight to confirm the accuracy of their mail ballot distribution.