Kris Mayes Secures Restraining Order Against USPS Mail-In Voting Rules

Arizona Attorney General (AG) Kris Mayes successfully secured a restraining order against the implementation of new United States Postal Service (USPS) rules regarding mail-in ballots.

The New Rule

USPS has begun implementing measures in line with President Donald Trump's efforts to tighten mail-in voting via an executive order issued in March, which he has consistently argued is a major source of voter fraud.

Measures include the creation of a new design for mail-in ballot envelopes that states must implement and be approved by the USPS, which further aligns with an EO requiring states to produce voter rolls to whom the USPS mails the envelopes.

Arizona is one of two dozen states that filed suit against the measure, arguing that implementation cannot be completed in time for the midterms, which would, in turn, disenfranchise many voters.

Ultimately, a restraining order against the new rule has been imposed.

What Mayes is Saying

"This is a win for every Arizona voter and the rule of law," AG Mayes said in a statement. "Arizonans have voted safely and securely by mail for decades. In a system designed by Republicans, at least three-quarters of Arizona voters choose to vote by mail. Today the court agreed that the federal government cannot upend our election system just weeks before ballots go out."

The Ongoing Fight

Democrats nationwide have fought tooth and nail against President Donald Trump's efforts to tighten mail-in voting, with Arizona Senate Democrats saying in April that "Arizona, like every other state, already has a list of registered and mail ballot voters. Arizona already mails ballots in envelopes with unique barcodes. Arizona already has rigorous voter list maintenance procedures."

In the United States Senate, Senator Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) introduced the Absentee MVP Act to nullify Trump's March EO and block the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from compelling the creation of or sharing of voter lists.

In June, the Supreme Court blocked Trump's EO, and AG Mayes celebrated by writing on social media, "Court blocks Trump administration's attempt to exert federal control over elections in a case brought by my office. The Constitution is clear: states run their elections, not the President."