New Mexico AG opposes USPS mail ballot rule
New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined a 24-state coalition opposing a proposed USPS rule that critics say could restrict mail ballot delivery.
Attorney General Raúl Torrez joined a 24-state coalition urging the Postal Service to withdraw a proposed rule that critics say could disrupt mail voting before the 2026 election.
Organ Mountain News report
ALBUQUERQUE - New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez has joined a multistate coalition opposing a proposed U.S. Postal Service rule that critics say could disrupt mail voting before the 2026 general election.
Torrez announced Thursday, July 2, that he joined attorneys general from 23 other states and the District of Columbia in filing a formal comment letter asking USPS to withdraw the proposed rule.
The proposal follows a March 31 executive order from President Donald Trump directing USPS, an independent federal agency, to create a national list of eligible voters and transmit mailed ballots only to voters appearing on that list, according to the New Mexico Department of Justice.
“Mail-in voting is a proven, secure, and indispensable part of our election system, relied upon by over 90,000 eligible New Mexico voters in just the last election, including military personnel serving overseas, seniors, rural communities, and working families who depend on the flexibility it provides,” Torrez said.
Torrez said the proposed rule would create confusion, strain local election administrators and threaten timely ballot delivery.
Organ Mountain News
A federal judge struck down the executive order last week in a lawsuit joined by Torrez, with the court order applying to the District of Columbia and 23 states, including New Mexico. Another federal judge ruled Wednesday that the USPS proposed rule violated a settlement between USPS and the NAACP.
According to Torrez’s office, USPS has not rescinded the proposed rule. Under the proposal, USPS would create a centralized list of voter information and refuse to deliver ballots to eligible voters who are not on that list.
The attorneys general argue the proposed rule violates the federal court order barring USPS from finalizing the rule. They also argue the proposal is an unconstitutional expansion of federal power because the Constitution does not allow the president to unilaterally change federal election procedures without congressional action.
Torrez’s office said the rule could affect the 2026 election calendar. Under New Mexico law, mailed ballots and ballot materials must be sent to eligible residents serving overseas in the military by Sept. 16. County clerks are scheduled to begin sending requested mailed ballots to eligible New Mexico voters Oct. 6.
The coalition said implementing the changes before the 2026 election would require states to alter election procedures and conduct voter education efforts just weeks before mail voting begins.
The comment letter was led by the attorneys general of California, Massachusetts, Nevada and Washington. Torrez joined attorneys general from Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawai‘i, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia and Wisconsin.
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