Vermont officials welcome block on USPS ballot rules

Court leaves injunction in place

The U.S. Supreme Court on Sept. 14 left in place a preliminary injunction blocking an executive order from President Trump that would have led the U.S. Postal Service to adopt new rules for voting by mail in the Nov. 3 general election.

Vermont Attorney General Charity Clark and a coalition of 24 other state attorneys general sued Aug. 26 to stop the rule. The coalition then secured the preliminary injunction that the Supreme Court’s order allowed to remain in effect.

Clark called the attempted change unlawful and said Vermont elections remain safe, secure and fair. She encouraged Vermonters to make a voting plan and thanked state and local election administrators.

Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas said the court action protects voters’ ability to receive ballots by mail and vote from home. She also credited municipal clerks for continuing election preparations during the legal dispute.

What Vermont voters should know

Vermont ballots are scheduled to be mailed by Oct. 1. Copeland Hanzas recommended that voters returning ballots through the mail send them by mid-October.

Voters may instead place completed ballots in their town’s secure drop box or deliver them to the clerk’s office during regular business hours before Election Day. Polling places and drop-box locations are listed on the Secretary of State’s website, while clerk contact information is available in the state’s town clerk directory.

The Vermont voter portal allows voters to track when a clerk receives their ballot. People who decide to vote at the polls on Election Day should bring the ballot they received in the mail and use it there.