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A federal appeals court denied the administration's request to lift an injunction blocking new mail ballot rules before the midterms.

The First Circuit Court of Appeals rejected the administration's request to stay a lower court's order that blocks new mail ballot rules from the U.S. Postal Service. The three-judge panel ruled that the administration failed to prove the new rules would not cause widespread voter disenfranchisement before the November midterms.

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Judges Gustavo A. GelpĂ­, Julie Rikelman, and Seth Aframe agreed with the district court that the Postal Service lacks the authority to regulate election policy without congressional authorization. The new rule requires states to meet specific design requirements for mail ballots, including unique barcodes and an online portal for resident information. While the administration described the plans as commonsense measures to protect voting security, the court noted there is no record evidence of past fraud or impending fraud related to the November 3 election. The U.S. Postal Service stated it is ready to implement the restrictions if the injunction is lifted, though it noted that the technology required to administer the order is not yet available. The Supreme Court is currently considering the application for a stay.

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