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Krishnamoorthi demands USPS answers on handling of mail ballots
He sought assurances that eligible voters would not be disenfranchised by changes to ballot delivery rules.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 09, Apr 2026
- 11:51 EDT
- 24
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi / IANS
Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi asked the U.S. Postal Service to explain how it plans to respond to President Donald Trump’s executive order that could restrict access to mail ballots ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In a letter sent April 8 to Postmaster General David Steiner, Krishnamoorthi said the order could force USPS into a role it has not traditionally played in federal elections by requiring it to determine which voters are eligible to receive ballots.
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He said such a move could conflict with constitutional principles that leave election administration to states and Congress.
“These directives would place USPS in an unprecedented gatekeeping role – effectively determining which voters will receive ballots – despite longstanding constitutional principles that reserve election administration to the states and Congress,” Krishnamoorthi wrote.
I’m demanding answers from USPS after Trump’s executive order threatened access to absentee and mail ballots ahead of the 2026 midterms.
— Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (@CongressmanRaja) April 9, 2026
USPS must remain a neutral carrier of election mail — not a gatekeeper deciding who gets to vote.
Read my letter: https://t.co/lI7mgudslL pic.twitter.com/rrbm3vX7ES
Krishnamoorthi said requiring USPS to rely on federal citizenship databases and cross-check them against state voter rolls could create operational problems, delays and confusion in the months leading up to the midterms.
He also said the agency has no traditional role in voter verification and warned that assigning it such responsibilities could undermine voter confidence.
“Moreover, requiring USPS–an entity with no traditional role in voter verification–to integrate and reconcile these disparate systems would impose significant administrative burdens, introduce new points of failure, and likely create delays or errors that could undermine voter confidence and disrupt election administration, particularly in the lead-up to high-turnout federal elections,” he wrote.
Krishnamoorthi asked USPS to respond by April 20 with details on its legal authority to carry out the order, whether it has received guidance from the Justice Department or other federal agencies, what operational changes would be required, how mail delivery timelines could be affected, and what steps it would take to ensure eligible voters are not disenfranchised because of administrative errors or conflicts with state law.
He also asked whether USPS would commit to maintaining its role as a neutral carrier of election mail and reject any responsibilities that would require the agency to determine voter eligibility.
Krishnamoorthi said the executive order appears to rely on claims of widespread mail-ballot fraud that have repeatedly been rejected and warned that the Postal Service’s longstanding role as a neutral carrier of election mail could be compromised.
USPS guidance for the 2026 election cycle says the agency’s role is to provide dependable and timely delivery of election mail, while election rules and ballot deadlines are set by states.
The executive order, signed March 31, directs the Postal Service to begin rulemaking that would require mail ballots to be sent in official election envelopes with unique tracking barcodes and would limit ballot transmission to voters listed on state-specific mail-in and absentee participation rolls.
The White House said the order is intended to strengthen voter eligibility verification and tighten mail ballot procedures.
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