Out of Necessity or for the Perks?

As we approach the unofficial end of summer on Labor Day, the temperature may be cooling but election season is heating up.

We know the drill by now: more political ads on television, on streaming services, and on social media; more candidate and party emails, texts, and phone calls; more mailers stuffed in our mail boxes. These devices are all used to by political parties and consultants to encourage people to vote and to persuade them to vote for specific candidates.

Pennsylvanians can vote either in person on Election Day at their precinct/ward or by mail-in ballot. However, participants in the electoral process might want to plan to go to the polls on November 3rd. Why? Two reasons: the United States Postal Service (USPS) may not deliver mail-in ballots and in-person voting could score you a discount at your favorite restaurant!

Executive Order 14399

On March 31, 2026, President Trump signed Executive Order 14399, Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections. The order establishes a federal and state partnership to verify eligible voters and directs the USPS to create rules and procedures for the delivery of mail-in ballots.

Prior to this executive action, on August 14, 2025 Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, citing statutory authority under the National Voter Registration Act (NVRA), the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) and the Civil Rights Act of 1960, requested full access to Pennsylvania voter registration records to ensure only U.S. citizens were registered to vote in the commonwealth. PA Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt denied that request on August 21, 2025. A lawsuit on this issue is pending in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.

The Executive Order attempts to reach the same goal: ensure only citizens are registered to vote and receive mail-in ballots. Although the order requested that states provide voter registration information, it also required the Department of Homeland Security to provide states with lists of citizens as documented by the Social Security Administration.

Not unexpectedly, the citizenship verification partnership met a quick end when Gov. Josh Shapiro joined 22 other states and the District of Columbia in challenging the constitutionality of the order on April 3, 2026.

The Courts

The multi-state lawsuit against Executive Order 14399 was filed in Massachusetts. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani granted the states’ Motion for Summary Judgement on June 25, 2026, ruling the order unconstitutional because it infringes on states’ authority to administer elections. The court issued a permanent injunction against implementation of most of the Executive Order.

The Trump Administration appealed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit and requested that the injunction be lifted so the Executive Branch could continue working toward implementation while the appeal continued. The First Circuit declined to lift the injunction.

The administration then filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS). On August 24, 2026, SCOTUS lifted the District Court’s injunction of Executive Order 14399, ruling that the suit was prematurely filed. SCOTUS did not rule on the merits of the Executive Order, allowing the appellate process to continue in the First Circuit Court of Appeals.

USPS

In accordance with the executive order, the USPS announced on August 21, 2026 that it developed new rules and regulations surrounding the processing and distribution of ballots through the mail. Highlights include:

• Intelligent Mail Barcodes (IMb) on outgoing and return ballot envelopes. These are the same type of barcodes on most pieces of mail that allows tracking through the USPS system;
• USPS design review of envelopes;
• Federal ballot mail portal where counties upload the following information about each voter’s ballot: name, mailing address, originating state, unique outbound IMb, and unique return-envelope IMb;
• USPS provides a list of all participants in the mail portal to the Secretary of State on or about Election Day to be used as a reconciliation tool by the state.

The USPS worked on the new rules while the June 25th District Court injunction was in place, believing the injunction prohibited implementation of the rules but not their development.

Following SCOTUS’s lifting of the injunction, a new lawsuit was filed and an injunction granted by the same U.S. District Court Judge Talwani, citing specifics from the USPS rules as unconstitutional. If the administration applies for and obtains relief from the injunction, the USPS rules will go into effect. Until then, they are on hold.

Perks

Because election issues and court rulings remain fluid, some people are going back to voting in the traditional manner—in person on Election Day. That decision is made extra attractive by a new initiative launched August 24, 2026, in Chester County called Chesco Votes.

The idea is simple. Anyone who votes in person on Election Day can bring an “I Voted” sticker or ballot receipt to a participating local business to receive a perk. Businesses may offer free items or discounts on food or services. Participating establishments and their perks will be identified on the website and flyers.

It’s a win-win for voters and local businesses. People participate in the electoral process and businesses receive advertising and customers.

Chester County businesses that want to participate can register the establishment and perk at chescovotes.com. Businesses in other counties or states can go to pollperks.us to register their company and perk.

Bottom line…

It doesn’t matter if you are frustrated with local, state, or national issues. It doesn’t matter if you are feeling betrayed by a political party. It doesn’t matter if you can’t find a candidate with identical views on every issue. As Americans, it is our right and privilege to vote in this representative republic. Do your homework. Vote on Election Day. Get a small bonus at a local business!