Supreme Court Win Defeats Unlawful Mail Voting Rule

As Connecticut and national organizations prepare for No Kings IV – Vote Early actions on October 17, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the preliminary injunction by Connecticut and a coalition of 24 other states blocking the United States Postal Service from implementing burdensome requirements on vote-by mail systems ahead of the November 3 midterm elections.

“This is a huge win for free and fair elections,” said Tong. “Donald Trump has tried over and over again to seize control of this election, to pick and choose who gets to vote and how we cast our ballots. Tonight, the United States Supreme Court sided with states and gave Donald Trump a big no. I have no illusions that this President is done trying to inject chaos and confusion into this election, but we’re going to be there at every step to fight to protect voters and our democracy,” Tong concluded.

Explaining the decision Tong said, “In denying the Trump Administration’s attempt to stay the injunction, the Supreme Court majority found that the Trump Administration was “unlikely to succeed on the merits” and that “the equitable factors applicable for obtaining emergency relief” favored the states.

Tony said, “The injunction will now continue to block USPS from requiring states to obtain the federal government’s approval of ballot and return-envelope designs, register for a new USPS portal for tracking voter information, input information for each of their state’s voters into the portal, and comply with other provisions.

Absentee ballots become available in Connecticut on September 19 to all voters who need them.

However, emphasis in Connecticut is on early voting which begins on October 19 at every town hall acros the state. A coalition of organizations is preparing to participate in the national No Kings IV events two days earlier on October 17, and encourage voters to vote as early as they can. The events aim to engage social, cultural and neighborhood groups to vote as an act of resistance to Trump administration attempts to prevent voters from participating and steal the election.