California turns on USPS in war with feds over mail-in voting

California is suing the US Postal Service to stop it from implementing new restrictions on mail-in voting after a Supreme Court ruling earlier this week.

The nation’s highest court ruled Monday that key portions of President Trump’s executive order can stand, which seeks to limit who can vote by post following claims of election fraud.

The move overturned a lower court order that blocked the Trump administration from enforcing the March 31 mail-in voting order in response to a lawsuit filed by 23 Democratic-led states, who argued the directive unconstitutionally infringes on their authority to administer elections.

Now California Attorney General Rob Bonta has joined 23 other attorneys general in filing the lawsuit seeking an emergency court order blocking the USPS rules while the case proceeds.

“This mail-in voting rule is an unlawful overreach that shows just how far President Trump will go to control elections,” Bonta claimed.

“Let’s be clear: The U.S. Constitution gives states the power to regulate elections — not the President and not USPS.”

The fight began in March, when President Trump ordered the federal government to create voter-eligibility lists and directed USPS to restrict mail-ballot deliveries to voters on new “enrolled” lists.

USPS unveiled its rule on August 21, requiring states to share voter information and follow new ballot-envelope standards.

Opponents say ballots could be withheld if voters are not on USPS lists or envelopes fail to meet the requirements.

California, where about 80% of voters cast ballots by mail, is now fighting it. The state first sued over Trump’s executive order in April and won an injunction in June.

The Supreme Court lifted that injunction Monday, but did not rule on whether the order was lawful, finding instead the states’ challenge had been filed too early.

California is now targeting USPS itself, arguing the agency is improperly stepping into states’ authority to run elections.

The showdown comes as the state’s sprawling vote-by-mail system faces renewed scrutiny over delays, rejected ballots and a series of election-fraud allegations.

Nearly 150,000 mail ballots were rejected in California’s June primary, according to an AP analysis, with more than 93,000 thrown out because they arrived too late to be counted.

Other ballots were rejected over signature problems, duplicate voting or other issues. The slow counting process has also become a political flashpoint.

Federal prosecutors opened multiple investigations into alleged election fraud during the June primary, while a prosecutor was sent to observe ballot processing in LA.

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