Gov. Newsom vows new lawsuit after Supreme Court ruling on mail-in ballot order
Special Projects/Investigations Manager
SACRAMENTO, Calif. —
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday vowed to take new legal action after the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to begin implementing parts of his executive order on mail-in voting.
The order calls for the administration to create lists of eligible voters and directs the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots only to individuals on those lists.
The Supreme Court’s ruling introduced uncertainty about mail-in voting rules for the midterm elections, which are just 10 weeks away.
Mail-in ballots have long been a focus for President Donald Trump, who has claimed for years that they lead to voter fraud, though evidence has not supported those claims.
Under the new rules, states would be required to report specific information to the federal government for each mail-in ballot sent, including the voter’s name and home address.
Currently, there is no national standard for tracking mail-in voting, as each state uses its own method. This change would represent a significant shift.
Time constraints are also a factor.
In California, ballots are set to start going out in just six weeks.
“The Supreme Court just let the Trump administration move ahead (for now) with its plan to disenfranchise voters across the country,” Newsom said in a statement after the Supreme Court’s decision. “California will be suing AGAIN to block these Orwellian rules from being implemented.”
KCRA 3 also reached out the California Secretary of State’s office for comment.
In a separate case, a lower court has already blocked part of the president’s effort, meaning further court action will likely be required before the U.S. Postal Service can move forward with the new rules.
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–KCRA 3’s Daniel Macht contributed to this report.