内部告発者の警告によると、米郵政公社が新しく導入した郵便投票システムには重大な不備があり、何百万もの有権者が投票用紙を受け取れなくなる「壊滅的な問題」が懸念されている。トランプ政権の新ルールを巡り、法的な応酬と混乱が続いている。
内部告発者が警告する郵便投票システムの「致命的な欠陥」
Washington — A whistleblower is warning of potentially catastrophic problems
with the U.S. Postal Service’s new system for handling mail ballots. The whistleblower is accusing the agency of flouting court rulings by continuing to work on implementing a Trump executive order to tighten mail voting rules before the November midterm elections.
Described by lawyers as a federal official, the anonymous whistleblower revealed the information about the Postal Service’s mail-voting procedures in a disclosure provided to Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut. In response, Blumenthal is now questioning Postmaster General David Steiner about the Postal Service’s development of a new online portal to house information about voters and their mail ballots.
大統領令を巡る法廷闘争と導入プロセスの迷走
Mr. Trump has sought to exert more federal control over U.S. elections ahead of the November midterms, including through his executive order imposing new restrictions on mail ballots. The president has also pushed Congress to approve a package of voting regulations that would outlaw mail voting — with some exceptions — and impose new proof-of-citizenship requirements to register to vote.
The order directs the Department of Homeland Security to develop lists of eligible voters in each state and mandates the U.S. Postal Service to only deliver ballots to voters on the approved lists. Trump’s order was quickly challenged in court by Democrat-led states, and on June 25 a federal judge in Boston blocked the order. The Postal Service moved ahead with the plan anyway, the whistleblower complaint states.
最高裁判所の判断と新ルールの行方
The Supreme Court in an Aug. 24 ruling overturned the lower court order blocking the Postal Service’s mail ballot efforts, saying the legal challenge was premature because a final plan hadn’t been issued. The Postal Service released its final mail ballot rule Aug. 26. It was quickly challenged in court, with a judge again temporarily preventing it from moving ahead while considering a long-term block.
As part of its implementation of the president’s directive, the Postal Service published a final rule last month laying out its new requirements for mail voting. A federal judge temporarily blocked its enforcement last week, and the Justice Department has appealed that decision.
Currently, six states conduct their elections entirely by mail. There are also four states, plus the District of Columbia, that have not yet eliminated in-person voting but also send ballots to all of their voters. In a CBS News poll in March, 77% of Democrats said anyone should be allowed to vote by mail, while just 25% of Republicans also felt that way. Independents were split, with 49% backing mail voting by anyone.
今後の焦点と各界の反応
The new Postal Service rule imposes new design standards for outbound and return mail ballot envelopes, including the addition of a unique barcode. Under the new rule, state election officials must submit to an online Federal Ballot Mail Portal
the names and addresses of voters receiving mail ballots, as well as the unique barcodes on the mail ballot envelopes. Once that information is provided through the portal, those voters would be considered enrolled with the Postal Service on their state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List.
Most states led by Democrats oppose the rule, arguing that the Constitution gives states the authority to set election rules, not the federal government.
Blumenthal said in a letter to the Postal Service that the agency should scrap the effort.