Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. President Trump’s administration is at it again, asking the Supreme Court to allow the US Postal Service to implement its plan for mail ballots. Because, you know, the most important thing in the world is to make sure those mail ballots are handled just right. I mean, who needs actual voting booths, right? The administration is trying to restrict mail voting during the midterm elections, and I’m just sitting here thinking, “What’s the hurry?”
The Supreme Court was already considering an emergency appeal filed by the USPS on September 3, which is just a few days ago. The USPS asked the justices to stay a temporary restraining order from US District Judge Indira Talwani that barred the agency from moving forward with its plan for two whole weeks. I guess the administration thought, “Hey, let’s just ask the Supreme Court to hurry it up, shall we?” And then, on Friday, Judge Talwani ruled again, handing down a preliminary injunction that blocked the USPS plan indefinitely. So, the administration appealed to the Supreme Court again on Sunday, because why not?
Now, I know what you’re thinking – what’s the big deal about mail ballots? Well, it seems the USPS wants to require state and local election officials to upload lists of their mail voters to a portal and use special barcodes on the envelopes to ease tracking. Many election officials are saying it’s already too late to implement those requirements, but the administration is all, “Oh no, we have to do this now!” Somewhere in Atlanta, a producer thought this sounded terrifying, and now we have a big ol’ mess on our hands.
The Justice Department filed a new appeal on Sunday, saying it did so out of “an abundance of caution” and withdrew the first case “to simplify proceedings.” Because, you know, simplicity is key when it comes to the Supreme Court. The high court is being asked to rule with an extraordinarily quick timeline on this effort by the administration to give the USPS an unprecedented role in elections. And let me tell you, the clock is ticking – North Carolina has already started mailing out ballots, and at least five additional states will begin doing so on September 13.
The Justice Department is warning that once those ballot envelopes enter the mailstream, there’s no retrieving them, and each day the injunction is in place risks sowing confusion and chaos. I’m no expert, but it seems to me that the administration is trying to create a bit of chaos here. Maybe I’m just being cynical, but it’s hard not to be when you’re reading about all these last-minute appeals and injunctions.
In conclusion, the Trump administration is trying to get the Supreme Court to allow the USPS to implement its plan for mail ballots, and it’s all getting a bit messy. The administration is trying to restrict mail voting, and many election officials are saying it’s too late to implement the new requirements. As I finish my coffee, I’m left thinking, “What’s next in this wild ride?” And I’m sure I’ll be reading about it in the news tomorrow, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, of course.
Armchair patriot. Believes in the free market, cold beer, and that there’s always a guy named George behind every CNN segment.
Former remote-throwing champion turned #1 couch commentator on liberal panic in the media. Born in Texas (or so his mug says), he earned a degree in Fake Newsology & Beer Philosophy from YouTube University.
