Media Contacts:
Asian Law Caucus, media@asianlawcaucus.org
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta, media@advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, media@movpc.org
SAAJCO, press@saajco.org
Supreme Court Blocks Trump Administration’s USPS Mail Voting Restrictions
WASHINGTON — Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the Trump administration’s request to put new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on voting-by-mail into effect ahead of the November midterm election, leaving a lower court injunction in place while litigation continues.
Asian Law Caucus, Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund, Asian Americans Advancing Justice - Atlanta, Missouri Voter Protection Coalition, South Asian American Justice Collaborative, Common Cause and more than 20 civil rights organizations filed an amicus brief last week, urging the Court to keep the restrictions blocked. The organizations warned that, not only are the new restrictions unlawful, but imposing an untested new federal system just weeks before Election Day would create confusion, interfere with state-run elections, and leave eligible voters without meaningful recourse if mistakes prevented them from receiving or returning their ballots.
The following are reactions from civil rights organizations who filed an amicus brief in USPS v. California:
“You don’t change the rules after the game has started – especially if it means voters will lose. With this ruling, voters won, and the Supreme Court handed the Trump administration yet another loss,” said Aarti Kohli, executive director of Asian Law Caucus. “Millions of people who rely on mail-in ballots – many of whom would otherwise have a difficult time voting – will receive their ballots and be able to confidently return them. We made our opposition clear because no eligible voter should lose their voice because of a bureaucratic mistake they had no power to prevent. Today, that threat is off the table for this election. Americans can move forward with confidence, and we will keep doing everything we can to make sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and have it counted.”
“Yesterday's decision is a relief for the millions of voters who count on the mail to make their voices heard including naturalized citizens, voters with disabilities, and limited English proficient voters but it should never have come to this,” said Murtaza Khwaja, executive director of Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta. “This administration keeps manufacturing uncertainty and chaos, testing how far it can go to rig the system against voters. The Supreme Court got this right: states run their own elections, not the White House. We will keep fighting alongside our partners to make sure every eligible voter can cast a ballot and trust that it counts.”
“With mail-in voting set to start next week in Missouri amid widespread confusion about voting rules for the November Elections, we are gratified that the Supreme Court recognized the chaos that would ensue if the USPS restrictions were allowed to be implemented,” said Denise Lieberman, director and general counsel of the Missouri Voter Protection Coalition. “In Missouri, where the voting rules are being weaponized for political gain, voters deserve to know that the federal government cannot usurp their ballots, and that they will be able to cast a ballot that counts. Voters can now have confidence in their ability to cast ballots by mail in this year’s elections.”
“Voting is one of the clearest expressions of belonging in this country. For South Asian voters, many of whom are naturalized citizens, errors in federal citizenship data and name matching can create very real barriers to the ballot. This decision protects access to mail voting in this election, and we are proud to have joined our civil rights partners in defending full participation in our democracy for our communities and voters across the country,” said Kalpana V. Peddibhotla, executive director of the South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO).
For Asian Americans and other voters who disproportionately rely on mail voting—including voters with disabilities and voters with limited English proficiency—this ruling was absolutely critical for securing their ability to vote,” said Ronak Patel, a staff attorney with AALDEF. “We are pleased that the Supreme Court recognized the importance of protecting access to the ballot from the blatant attempts by the Trump Administration to restrict it."
About the Organizations
Asian Law Caucus (ALC) was founded in 1972 as the nation's first legal and civil rights organization focusing on the needs of low-income, immigrant and underserved Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Recognizing that social, economic, political, and racial inequalities continue to exist in the United States, ALC is committed to the pursuit of equality and justice for all sectors of our society. Learn more at www.asianlawcaucus.org.
The Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund (AALDEF) was founded in 1974 to protect and promote the civil rights of Asian Americans. AALDEF serves diverse Asian communities around the country in solidarity with each other, communities of color, and marginalized groups. Community lawyering is at the heart of AALDEF’s work, which combines litigation, advocacy, education, and organizing to secure human rights for all people.
Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta (Advancing Justice-Atlanta) is the first nonprofit legal advocacy organization dedicated to protecting the civil rights of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) and Arab, Middle Eastern, Muslim, and South Asian (AMEMSA) communities in Georgia and the Southeast. Learn more at www.advancingjustice-atlanta.org
Common Cause is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization dedicated to upholding the core values of American democracy.
Missouri Voter Protection Coalition (MOVPC) is Missouri’s nonpartisan voting rights table dedicated to advancing free, fair, and accessible voting and strengthening democratic participation from underrepresented communities. MOVPC works to safeguard all available voting options for Missouri voters, including voting by mail. MOVPC works to identify and eliminate barriers to voting through policy advocacy, strategic litigation, voter education and by anchoring statewide nonpartisan Election Protection efforts in Missouri.
The South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to fighting for the civil and human rights of the South Asian diaspora in the United States through legal advocacy, community engagement, and narrative power. Learn more at www.saajco.org.