Folks, I almost spilled my coffee reading this one. The Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s plan to change how mail ballots are sent to voters across the country. I mean, I’ve seen some controversial ideas in my time, but this one takes the cake. The administration wanted to give the US Postal Service the power to withhold potentially millions of mail ballots, which would have had catastrophic consequences if allowed to take effect for this year’s midterms. Bless their hearts, they thought they could just swoop in and change the rules like that.
The court said that the administration “is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge” in its brief order. Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, because of course they did. I’m not sure what’s more surprising, the fact that the administration thought this plan would fly or that some of the justices actually thought it was a good idea.
The decision is a significant loss for the president, who for years has railed against mail voting with false allegations of extensive fraud, while continuing to vote by mail himself. You can’t make this stuff up, folks. The administration framed its proposal as a “modest” change to postal regulations intended to protect against that alleged fraud. Trump’s critics, however, described the maneuver as an unconstitutional power grab that the US Postal Service wasn’t even fully prepared to carry out.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a member of the court’s conservative wing, wrote a concurrence explaining that he thought the proposal may be within the authority of the USPS, but that “state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections.” In other words, even he thought it was a bit of a stretch. Alito, on the other hand, said he didn’t believe the practical concerns of implementing the rule raised by many election officials was enough for the states and voting rights groups that challenged the rule to win. I guess he thought it was worth the risk of mass disenfranchisement.
The president’s order required states to submit lists of eligible voters to the US Postal Service, which would then be barred from delivering ballots mailed by states to people not on those lists. It also required states to use tracking barcodes on ballot envelopes and “prioritized” federal prosecution of state election officials who send or receive ballots to non-citizens or others ineligible to vote. Sounds like a real recipe for disaster.
Under the Constitution, it’s states and Congress that determine voting procedures, not the White House nor the post office. You’d think the administration would know that, but I guess they were too busy trying to push through their agenda. A Postal Service whistleblower even came forward with warnings about the plan, saying it could lead to mass disenfranchisement. But hey, at least they tried, right?
In the end, the Supreme Court made the right call, and the administration’s plan was rejected. Trump has for years touted conspiracy theories about mail voting as a way to discredit the 2020 presidential election that he lost. But improper voting remains exceedingly rare, and the administration has never provided evidence of widespread fraud on a scale that could influence the outcome of the 2020 election, or any other contest. Maybe it’s time for them to focus on something else.
In conclusion, this whole ordeal has been a wild ride, folks. The Supreme Court’s decision is a win for democracy, and a loss for the administration’s attempts to manipulate the voting system. And let’s be real, it’s just another example of the administration’s attempts to stir up controversy and undermine the integrity of our elections. As I always say, you can’t make this stuff up, but thankfully, the Supreme Court was there to put a stop to it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to refill my coffee cup.
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.
