Postal Service Issues Proposal to Block Mail Ballots in States That Don't Turn Over Data

The U.S. Postal Service has proposed a new rule that would allow it to refuse to deliver mail ballots in states that don’t turn over voter rolls to the federal government.

The rule, proposed last week, is vaguely written but appears to establish broad authority for the agency to intervene in the mail voting process. It calls on states to compile lists of mail voters that Postal Service employees would use to screen ballots for eligibility. If states refuse to comply, the agency could refuse to send their mail ballots.

Democrats and voting-rights groups say the proposed rule is clear evidence that the Trump administration is trying to unconstitutionally intrude on state-run elections.

Withholding some mail services in states where voters rely heavily on mail balloting could affect millions of Americans. And most of those affected would likely be Democrats, who disproportionately vote by mail because more Republicans have been convinced by Mr. Trump’s unfounded claims that mail balloting is not reliable and invites fraud. Screening mail ballots for voter eligibility, meanwhile, would amount to an unprecedented, and potentially unconstitutional, involvement of the federal government in the administration of elections. The proposed rule is vague, however, so it is unclear how the screening would work.



https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/11/us/politics/usps-mail-voting-democratic-resistance.html

OH-SEN, OH-GOV: Ohio Poll Could Portend Trouble for Republicans

Charlie Cook: “A Fox News poll could well be the canary in the midterm coal mine, suggesting far greater danger for Republicans in November than was previously evident…”

“When reading the numbers that follow, you should know that unreleased, private, high-quality polls conducted for both sides show similar results; this poll is not an outlier. And while Fox News has its fans and detractors, its polling is first-rate.”


https://politicalwire.com/2026/06/11/ohio-poll-could-portend-trouble-for-republicans/

MN-SEN: Elissa Slotkin endorses Angie Craig for Senate

NY-12: Micah Lasher holds a wide lead in Democratic primary poll.

AK-SEN, OH-SEN: Cook Political, Larry Sabato move two Republican Senate races to 'Tossup'

WI-GOV: Mandela Barnes holds slight lead in Democratic Primary

CO-GOV: Phil Weiser leads Micheal Bennett by 7% in Democratic primary poll.

Hall Pass: Your Ticket to Understanding School Board Politics, Edition #209

The One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA), enacted into law on July 4, 2025, placed limits on the amount of higher education loans that a student can borrow from the federal government, including specific caps for graduate students that vary by degree pathway.. On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education issued a final rule for the higher-ed loan portion of the law. The rule distinguishes between graduate degree programs and professional degree programs. The rule establishes a $100,000 total borrowing limit on students in graduate degree programs, including those seeking teaching degrees and degrees in most other disciplines. Professional degree students are capped at $200,000 total. Professional degree programs comprise 11 fields, including law, dentistry, theology, and clinical psychology.

What are the arguments for and against these limits?

Heather Peske, the president of the National Council on Teacher Quality (NCTQ), says excluding teaching from the list of programs with a higher borrowing limit will exacerbate staffing shortages in schools, especially in rural districts. Peske says that the rule will disproportionately affect low-income students, making the teaching profession less diverse. Peske says the federal rule, by excluding teaching from its list of professional degree fields, demeans the profession.

Preston Cooper, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), says capping the total amount graduate students can borrow will put downward pressure on college tuition. Cooper says the cap is higher than the amount most education graduate programs charge to obtain a degree, so most students are unlikely to bump up against the limit. Cooper says the rule is likely to affect a small number of institutions which charge higher-than-average tuition and that states should find ways to develop the education workforce without asking students to take on large amounts of debt.




https://news.ballotpedia.org/2026/06/10/hall-pass-your-ticket-to-understanding-school-board-politics-edition-209/

NV-02: 'I don't have a hometown,' says Republican who just moved from Vegas to northern Nevada

The Associated Press projected Wednesday morning that Air Force veteran David Flippo had decisively won the Republican nomination for Nevada’s open 2nd Congressional District, a development Democrats hope will give them an opening to flip a conservative constituency they’ve never held before.

Flippo, who picked up Donald Trump’s endorsement late in the campaign, will take on former state Assembly Majority Leader Teresa Benitez-Thompson, who easily secured the Democratic nod on Tuesday.

During the primary, Benitez-Thompson highlighted her long history in northern Nevada, while Flippo spent the race on the receiving end of attacks portraying him as an interloper from the wrong end of the state.

“Vegas Dave Flippo. He ran for Congress in Las Vegas,” began the narrator in a recent ad targeting him. “He’s a fraud just shopping for another political office.”




https://www.the-downballot.com/p/morning-digest-i-dont-have-a-hometown

Trump claims military is gunning for extreme anti-voting SAVE America Act

President Donald Trump said the Pentagon wants congressional Republicans to include anti-voting restrictions from the SAVE America Act in a multibillion-dollar defense bill.

That claim — which would be historically out of character for the Department of Defense (DOD) — represents Trump’s latest attempt to use the U.S. military to carry out his domestic partisan goals, including his longstanding desire to directly take control of elections.

I am hereby calling on Republicans in Congress to IMMEDIATELY advance and pass the forthcoming $350 Billion Reconciliation Bill (Recon 3.0) — which, at the request of our Great Department of War — will include THE SAVE AMERICA ACT as well,” Trump said in a social media post Wednesday night.

“No games, no delays, and no weak compromises! Do this ASAP,” the president added.




https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-military-anti-voting-save-america-act-defense-bill/