Federal judge in D.C. declines emergency bid to halt Trump’s mail voting executive order

A judge reportedly declined a request on Thursday to block Donald Trump’s executive order strengthening regulations on mail-in voting but left the door open for the Democratic Party to challenge it again after the administration takes steps to start implementing the order.

The US District Judge Carl Nichols’ order did not specifically address whether Trump’s March 31 order was authorized. Furthermore, it does not leave an effect on how Americans vote, but the fact that federal agencies have not finalized the new rules required by the order.

Notably, Trump’s Republicans are vying for the contest of both houses of Congress in the November midterm elections.

White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said in a statement. "The Trump administration will continue fighting for the safety and security of American elections."

“Given that the executive order does not command plaintiffs to do anything, and that no agency has yet acted pursuant to the order in a way that could harm plaintiffs, they have not suffered any harm at present,” wrote Nichols, who Trump appointed during his first term.

Trump instructed his administration to compile a list of authenticated US citizens eligible to vote in each state.

The order directs federal agencies to use data to help state election officials validate who is entitled to vote, requires the US Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on each state’s list, and mandates states retain election records for five years.

It has been observed that Trump for years has pushed the spurious claim that his 2020 election defeat was the result of election scam by mail, yet he recently cast mail-in ballot during a Florida special election in March. 

It is pertinent to mention that mail-in voting is widely observed as a secure and a verified voting method.

Now eight states seek to exclusively conduct elections following the post and reports of the nation’s fair electoral processes. 

Furthermore, a separate executive order Trump issued last year required voters to prove their US citizenship and excluded them from counting mail ballots received after Election Day was halted by three federal judges. In addition, the administration is contesting those rulings.