Federal Judge Blocks USPS Notices With False Mail Ballot Info After Colorado Sues
A federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order blocking the U.S. Postal Service from sending out postcards to Colorado voters with inaccurate information about mail-in ballots.
The ruling hands the state an early victory in its lawsuit filed on Saturday contending misinformation in the Postal Service message could disenfranchise voters by sowing confusion.
“The Court recognizes that removing the (mailer) from circulation may impose limited burdens on Defendants,” U.S. District Judge William Martinez wrote in his ruling. “Such burdens, however, pale in comparison to the potential disenfranchisement of registered voters within Colorado.”
The USPS moved to fight the order, seeking to continue distributing inaccurate voting information, according to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, the chief election officer of the state.
UPDATE: @USPS is now fighting the temporary restraining order that is barring their further mailing of incorrect election information to Colorado households.
— Jena Griswold (@JenaGriswold) September 13, 2020
Griswold sounded the alarm about the inaccurate postcards on Friday. She complained that controversial Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ignored requests from secretaries of state to review any notices to ensure their accuracy before they went out.
The postcards urge voters to request mail-in ballots early. But several states automatically send ballots to all registered voters. For residents in those states, the “information is not just confusing, it’s WRONG,” Griswold complained.
The notices also provide what the judge called “patently false” information to Colorado voters about the deadline to mail ballots back. The cards fail to note that the ballots can be dropped off — or voters can decide to vote in person. The incorrect notices will “sow confusion” and could suppress voting because people may falsely believe they’ve already missed a deadline and it’s too late to vote, the judge...
