The Independent: Not just the postal service: Trump campaign targeting ballot drop off boxes in battleground states

The Trump administration has faced heavy criticism this week over accusations that it is intentionally weakening the postal service in an effort to reduce mail-in voting. But an equally consequential battle is taking place in the courts.

Donald Trump’s campaign for reelection is pursuing legal action to block the use of secure ballot drop-off boxes in the battleground state of Pennsylvania, an action that could foreshadow similar fights across the country.

The lawsuit seeks to prevent the use of the boxes — which voters can use to securely drop off their ballots at locations such as schools or libraries to be collected by election officials — in November’s presidential election.

The move comes amid a surge of requests for mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic, as states seek to expand access to remote voting as a way of protecting against the virus.

But Mr Trump has repeatedly attacked mail-in voting as being vulnerable to fraud — without any evidence — and sought to limit its use. …

Voting rights advocates have warned the lawsuit in Pennsylvania is yet another attempt by a president to undermine the democratic process and suppress the vote. In a state that the president won by only 44,000 votes in 2016 — or 0.7 percent of the vote — the stakes are high.

“This lawsuit is part of a strategy to make it harder for eligible voters to vote in November – by introducing confusion, eliminating choices about how to return a mail ballot, and raising meritless questions about the integrity of our elections,” Suzanne Almeida, of voting rights group Common Cause Pennsylvania, told The Independent.

“Drop boxes are a crucial option for voters who receive their absentee ballots too late to return them by mail. Without drop boxes, some people will be forced to choose between their health and their right to vote — and no one should have to make that choice,” she added. …

As more states look to expand the ways in which their residents can vote safely in November’s election, the battle over drop boxes may yet spread across the country.

Republicans are also involved in several legal battles to restrict the expansion of mail-in ballots generally, prompting many states to increase their efforts to encourage residents to vote early.

“Regardless of what happens in the litigation, voters should make a plan to vote, either by mail or in-person, to ensure their voices are heard on election day,” said Ms Almeida, of Common Cause. “Our government ‘of the people’ is stronger and more representative when every voter can participate.”