WASHINGTON – In a significant development, the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) has halted the development of a controversial computer system aimed at limiting mail voting. This decision follows the recent rejection of President Donald Trump’s executive order by the Supreme Court. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed this suspension during an interview, stating, “There’s an injunction so we’re not doing anything,” as reported by The Associated Press.
Steiner, who previously served as the CEO of Waste Management, has been navigating the USPS through various political and financial challenges over the past year. He has been vocal in his appeals to Congress for measures to address what he describes as a “liquidity crisis” facing the agency. The Supreme Court’s ruling has effectively removed the USPS from a contentious role in determining voter eligibility just months before pivotal midterm elections.
Unlike Trump, who publicly criticized the Supreme Court’s decision and expressed disdain for certain justices, Steiner has refrained from commenting on the court’s ruling, instead focusing on the operational aspects of the agency. He emphasized, “I don’t get to decide what rules that are put on us that I decide to accept or not accept. I looked at it more from the execution side.”
The executive order signed by Trump in March directed federal agencies to compile state citizenship lists, which were intended to be used by the USPS to send mail ballots exclusively to voters verified through this process. Steiner acknowledged being aware of the order prior to its public announcement but maintained that his focus remained on how to implement it rather than the policy itself.
A whistleblower report, recently released by Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), criticized the hastily constructed system for being riddled with errors. While Steiner recognized the challenges of rapidly developing such a large platform, he expressed confidence in the USPS IT department’s capabilities, stating, “There’s absolutely no doubt that we worked fast.”
The implementation of Trump’s order also included requirements for states to adopt a uniform envelope style with barcodes, a stipulation that many states argued would be impractical so close to an election. Following the Supreme Court’s ruling, a memo distributed to postal service employees indicated that the USPS would not enforce any of the new rules during the upcoming federal elections.
“First and foremost, for Election Mail it is business as usual,” the memo stated. “We continue to follow established protocols, and we remain entirely focused on our core mission: delivering the mail safely and securely for voters and election officials across the country.”
While the Supreme Court has halted the executive order for this election cycle, Justice Brett Kavanaugh hinted that he may rule in favor of similar measures if they resurface in the future. Steiner has encouraged voters to utilize barcodes and specific envelope styles but clarified that while these changes would not be mandatory, compliance could result in lower processing fees.
“If you use the barcode in the envelope, we’ll charge you a lower price,” Steiner noted, adding that non-compliance could lead to higher charges due to increased processing difficulties.
Despite the cessation of the controversial project, concerns persist regarding potential postmark delays that could affect mail-in ballots in the upcoming elections. Data from vote-by-mail states like Washington and Oregon have indicated a rise in ballots being rejected due to late postmarks, raising alarms among election officials.
Steiner emphasized that voters should submit their ballots early to avoid complications. “We say seven days,” he advised. “Everything is solved if people vote early.”
