GOP applauds this new move.
President Donald Trump’s effort to tighten election security gained new momentum Wednesday after U.S. Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed that the Postal Service would stop delivering mail-in ballots in states that refuse to provide voter eligibility information under a proposed federal rule.
The proposal is part of the Trump administration’s broader push to strengthen confidence in mail-in voting by ensuring absentee ballots are sent only to eligible registered voters.
During a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Steiner was questioned by lawmakers about how the proposed regulation would affect states that decline to share their absentee voter lists with the federal government.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the committee’s ranking Democrat, asked whether the Postal Service would continue delivering absentee ballots to states that refuse to provide the requested voter information.
Steiner’s response was direct.
“Under our proposed regulation, no,” he said.
The proposed rule follows President Trump’s executive order issued in March directing the Postal Service to require states to provide updated lists of eligible voters at least 60 days before every federal election. According to the administration, the goal is to improve election integrity by helping ensure ballots are mailed only to qualified voters.
Steiner told senators the Postal Service is not attempting to administer elections but is instead taking steps to improve the accuracy of ballot delivery.
“The objective is making sure the right ballots are going to the right people,” Steiner explained.
He added that states themselves should benefit from providing accurate voter information because it helps ensure ballots are delivered only to eligible recipients rather than outdated addresses or individuals who are no longer qualified to vote.
Steiner also emphasized that the Postal Service will continue complying with all court orders governing vote-by-mail procedures.
Democratic lawmakers strongly opposed the proposal, arguing that the Constitution gives states primary responsibility for administering elections.
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.) accused the Trump administration of expanding the federal government’s role in election administration and urged Steiner not to move forward with the proposal.
Supporters of the rule see it differently, arguing that verifying voter rolls before absentee ballots are mailed is a commonsense safeguard that could reduce mailing errors, improve voter confidence and strengthen election security.
The proposed regulation is currently open for a 30-day public comment period. Under President Trump’s executive order, the Postal Service is expected to publish a final rule before the end of July.
If the rule is finalized, states that wish to continue using the Postal Service to distribute mail-in ballots for federal elections would be required to provide updated voter eligibility information, making the proposal one of the Trump administration’s most significant election security initiatives ahead of future elections.