President Donald Trump this week issued a new executive order seeking to limit mail-in voting ahead of the November elections, but how does it really affect local elections?
Berrien County Clerk Stacy Loar-Porter has been looking into the matter, and she tells us some of the things in Trump’s order have already been standard practice in Michigan.
“One of them is that mailed ballots and absentee ballots have to have the official election mail logo on it,” Loar-Porter said. “We’ve done that in Michigan for a good 15 years. They also have to have the unique intelligent mail barcode, which we in Michigan implemented, again, several years ago. So those are not issues for us. And all of our envelopes that we use have already been designed and reviewed by the USPS for standards. So again, we’re ahead of the curve on all that stuff.”
Loar-Porter says many of the other things in the order, as far as she can tell, wouldn’t affect the county clerk much. However, she does question the order’s requirement for states to provide the U.S. Postal Service with a list of voters eligible for a mail-in ballot at least 60 days before an election.
“Does that mean that what we turn in at 60 days is the only people that are going to get it? Because that completely contradicts the voter-approved constitutional changes that happened, that you can get an absentee ballot up until 4 p.m. on the Friday before the election.”
Loar-Porter also says voter information that is supposed to be kept private, like birth dates, will have to be protected. She says the order, if it’s upheld, would only apply to federal elections, which could create some complications for local clerks.
Regardless of what happens with challenges to the Trump order, Loar-Porter says protecting election integrity should be a goal all election officials value.
“I think everyone wants to do everything possible to make sure we have the most secure elections, especially when it comes ensuring ballots that are mailed to voters make it to those voters. Combining and utilizing the resources of the USPS, state, county, and locals is the smart thing to do. We just need to make sure it does not slow down the election process and addresses things like voting college students, voters who may be traveling for an extended period of time, or voters that may be temporarily in a health facility and may not physically be at their normal mailing address, what steps will be taken to make sure they still get their requested ballot if that address does not match their normal mailing address.”
Loar-Porter is waiting on guidance from higher up and also expects there will be a legal fight over the executive order. She says with questions remaining about procedures, her office isn’t making any assumptions.
Already, Democratic Party leaders are suing to block Trump’s order. His office says it’s about protecting election security.
