What does the U.S. Postmaster General have to say about mail-in voting? David Steiner’s mail-in ballot policy makes waves
The U.S. Postal Service’s proposed mail-in ballot policy has sparked a new political and legal battle ahead of the November 2026 election. Postmaster General David Steiner told lawmakers that under the proposed regulations, the U.S. Postal Service would no longer mail ballots to states that refuse to provide federally requested voter eligibility data.
The federal government’s alleged intent to overstep its jurisdiction has alarmed critics. Some judges agreed. Several Democratic-led states sued, and a federal judge blocked the plan Thursday.
Selina Stewart, chief executive of the League of Women Voters, said the postmaster general’s comments raised “credibility issues.”
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What did David Steiner say about mail-in voting?
Steiner, who appeared before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, was asked whether the Postal Service would continue to mail ballots to states that refuse to comply with proposed voter data requirements.
Steiner defended the proposal, saying it would help ensure “the right votes go to the right people.” He argued that states should want accurate voter information so that ballots are delivered only to eligible voters.
“I think states want to have this information to make sure that the ballots they think they’re sending out are the ballots that are actually being sent out,” Stiner said.
However, at the same hearing, Steiner acknowledged that the Postal Service does not administer elections and said the Postal Service would comply with any court order regarding the proposal.
“The comments he made are particularly concerning because voting is a right and now it’s presented as such a risk profile, and when getting a vote starts to be viewed as questionable, I think that’s fundamentally problematic, and I think democracy itself starts to come under audit, and that’s really problematic,” Stewart said.
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What is the mail-in ballot policy?
The proposed rule stems from President Donald Trump’s March executive order directing the Postal Service to require states to submit voter eligibility lists at least 60 days before federal elections. The government believes this measure will help ensure that postal ballots only reach eligible voters.
A federal judge on Thursday temporarily halted the proposed rules after nearly two dozen Democratic-led states challenged Trump’s executive orders in court.
Justice Indira Talwani ruled that parts of the order may have violated the constitutional separation of powers by seeking to shift electoral power away from the states.
The White House defended the executive order, saying accurate voter rolls are critical to the integrity of elections.
“President Trump is committed to ensuring that Americans have confidence in the administration of our elections, which includes fully accurate and up-to-date voter rolls with no errors and no illegally registered non-citizen voters,” White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said.
