A US judge has refused to immediately block Donald Trump’s executive order on mail-in voting. The ruling keeps the order alive, at least for now. Democrats and civil rights groups had urged the court to halt the order, calling it unconstitutional. Judge Carl Nichols of the District of Columbia, a Trump appointee, disagreed on Thursday, ruling the challenge was brought too soon. He left the door open for opponents to return once the order begins to take effect.
US Judge rejects immediate block of Donald Trump’s mail-in voting executive order
Judge Carl Nichols sided with the Donald Trump administration’s argument that the lawsuit was premature, given that the order had not yet been enforced. With implementation rules still being drawn up, the judge found that any harm to the plaintiffs remained too uncertain to warrant court action at this stage.
In his ruling, Nichols wrote, “The Court recognizes that the Postal Service may ultimately issue a final rule that directly affects Plaintiffs or their members, or that the Government may develop State Citizenship Lists that omit specific individuals due to particularized flaws.” He added, “Plaintiffs may, of course, renew their motions if and when those future actions occur. Until then, however, Plaintiffs cannot show that preliminary injunctive relief is warranted.”
At its core, Trump’s mail-in voting order tasks federal agencies with verifying voter eligibility before ballots go out. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) would build citizenship-based voter lists for each state. Meanwhile, the Postal Service (USPS) would dispatch mail-in ballots only to those already on approved state voting lists.
Trump’s mail-in voting order directs the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to compile lists of confirmed US citizens eligible to vote in each state. It also requires the US Postal Service (USPS) to send mail-in ballots. It is only applies to voters on state-specific absentee and mail-in voting lists.
Critics warn the plan puts undue pressure on the postal service, which plays no formal role in running elections. They also flag that the federal databases underpinning the voter lists may be riddled with errors. This might potentially lock out legitimate voters. They further argue that the order oversteps presidential authority.
(Source: Al Jazeera)
