Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) has placed a hold on nominees for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Board of Governors, citing concerns over mail delays in South Dakota. The hold affects nominees Jeffrey Brodsky and William Gallo, who were headed for a Senate floor vote. Rounds stated in an August 7 floor speech that he will maintain the hold until the agency suspends a program that reduced delivery times at rural post offices, ensures intrastate mail delivery within one to two days, and commits to implementing findings from an Inspector General report expected in September.
The nominations are part of President Donald Trump’s effort to reshape the 11-member board, which directs USPS policy. Presidents traditionally nominate members in bipartisan pairs, but Trump has nominated four Republicans. Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI) and other Democratic senators have opposed the moves, arguing that confirming only one party’s nominees undermines the agency’s independence. During June confirmation hearings, Democrats also questioned the nominees’ experience and their initial hesitation regarding the safety of mail-in voting.
Separately, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani issued a 14-day temporary restraining order on Thursday blocking the USPS from enforcing new mail-in voting requirements. The rules, issued following a March executive order from President Trump, required states to submit lists of mail-in voters to an online portal and use specific barcode-equipped envelopes. A coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the rules, arguing that the USPS lacks the authority to regulate election administration, which the Constitution grants to states.
A person voting by mail would have noticed significant changes to the process had the rules remained in effect. Under the regulation, the USPS would have refused to deliver ballots that did not meet design standards or were sent to voters not included on the agency's "Mail-In and Absentee Participation Lists." Critics, including the ACLU, argued these requirements would lead to "pervasive disenfranchisement" by rejecting ballots based on technical non-compliance. The Justice Department argued the rules were "modest informational requirements" and did not displace state law, but the court found the agency had likely exceeded its delegated authority from Congress.
The immediate outcome of these developments is a two-week pause on the new voting regulations, providing a window for states that begin mailing ballots to military and overseas voters as early as September 4. The procedural delays in the Senate mean the USPS Board of Governors may remain under its current leadership as the midterm elections approach. A court hearing is scheduled for September 3 to determine if the temporary block on the voting rules will be extended into a longer-term preliminary injunction. The Justice Department has indicated it is likely to appeal the ruling.