A proposed federal rule could block your state's mail ballots

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the U.S. Postal Service's proposed rule implementing President Trump's executive order on mail voting, and told you the federal government wants to decide who receives a ballot in the mail.

It’s worse than that: New reporting in The New York Times makes clear that if a state refuses to hand over its voter rolls to the federal government, the Postal Service could refuse to deliver that state’s mail ballots at all.

Think about what that means for a state like Colorado, where a majority of voters cast their ballots by mail. The state’s Secretary of State has said publicly that this would put Colorado in a tremendous bind. Twenty-three states and DC are now suing.

The timeline is tighter than most people realize. The executive order directs the Postal Service to issue a final rule by the end of July — less than four months before Election Day.

Lawsuits are challenging this on multiple fronts. But court battles take time, and voters need answers now. What happens to my ballot? Do I need to vote in person? Where do I go? What do I bring? That’s our job.

VoteAmerica’s tools give voters the information they need to cast a ballot no matter what changes. Our absentee ballot request tool helps voters request an absentee or mail ballot. Our ballot tracker helps voters track the status of their application, if their ballot has been mailed to them, and if it has been counted. And if mail voting gets disrupted, our polling place finder is the backup plan.

Most people will hear about this rule and feel helpless. You’re not most people. You fund the organization that will make sure voters still know how to cast a ballot no matter what USPS does. If someone in your life needs to hear that this fight has a plan behind it, share this article.

We'll keep you updated as this moves.