refuse

June 25 (UPI) — The U.S. Postal Service plans to refuse delivery of mail-in ballots in states that don’t turn over their voter lists to the federal government, the postmaster general told Congress.

Postmaster General David Steiner told the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee about the proposed rule on Wednesday.

“Yes or no — if a state refuses to turn their absentee voter list over to the federal government, will the Postal Service still mail their ballots under this proposed rule?” Sen. Gary Peters, D-Mich., asked Steiner.

“Under our proposed regulation, no. We would tell the state that we need the manifest,” Steiner said.

Steiner argued the policy is to make sure ballots are delivered “securely, efficiently, and accurately.” But President Donald Trump has repeatedly demanded states’ voter lists over the past year and has been suing states to get them.

The proposed rule says that states would have to give the Postal Service the names, addresses and ballot barcode numbers for the people who are to get ballots in the mail. The proposal follows Trump’s executive order from March 31 that requires the federal government to compile state citizenship lists and for the Postal Service to refuse to mail ballots to those the federal government has determined are ineligible to vote.

The proposed rule is posted on the Federal Register, and the public can comment until July 2.

Democrats have pushed back, arguing the rule shows that Trump is trying to federalize elections and said the Postal Service doesn’t have the authority to enforce that rule. The Constitution says states are responsible for running elections.

“Just because President Trump wants to do this does not make it law, doesn’t make it right, doesn’t make it constitutional. There is certainly a massive difference between general mail requirements and regulating elections,” Peters said.

Steiner admitted that his agency doesn’t have the authority to enforce elections but said the rule is a precaution to be sure that only eligible voters will get ballots.

“I would think that states would want the information to ensure that the ballots that they think they’re sending out are the ballots that are actually getting sent out,” Steiner said.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., said the rule is part of a broader strategy.

“The U.S. Postal Service is now part of this bigger story of this president desperate to federalize our elections. He has tried every which way to say that if he and his party don’t win in these November elections, they were rigged.”

Slotkin asked Steiner directly to stop the plan.

“Please push back on being a pawn in this authoritarian playbook,” she said. “The Postal Service is one of the most important institutions in our country. Don’t taint it with the obsession of this one man.”

Although it seems non-optional, passengers always have a choice to go with an alternative

Passing through security is an essential part of travelling through an airport. However, passengers always have the right to decline certain types of searches.

Usually, after checking in for a flight, travellers go through the airport and must pass through security before entering the main terminal and boarding any aircraft. The procedure can be time-consuming, particularly during busy summer holidays, but it typically involves sending hand luggage through a scanner and passing through a security checkpoint yourself.

However, under UK Department for Transport (DfT) regulations, you always have the right to decline a body scan. You don’t actually need to provide a valid legal or medical reason for refusing this and can simply state that you prefer not to go through the scanner for personal reasons.

Some travellers decline to be scanned if they have medical equipment, such as a pacemaker or an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD). You can also request a manual search of hearing aids, reports the Express.

Regarding medical supplies in hand luggage, the GOV.UK website states: “You should bring a letter from your doctor stating why they should not be scanned. However, it is up to the airport to decide if they need to be scanned or not.”

Pregnant mothers who may feel uneasy about being scanned are assured by the UK government that scanners (which use non-ionising millimetre-wave technology, not X-rays) are safe. However, this doesn’t mean you can bypass security checks entirely, as passengers will still be required to go through an alternative screening procedure.

If you decline for non-medical reasons, the rules require passengers to undergo an enhanced manual search in private. This means being escorted to a separate room away from the main security queue for a procedure that some describe as more thorough than a routine pat-down.

At least two security officers will be present, and it may require loosening or taking off certain items of clothing to confirm that nothing is hidden. The procedure can also add 20 to 45 minutes to your time at security, depending on how many staff are available, so factor in potential flight delays and make sure there’s enough time to get to the gate before your plane leaves.

What do airport scans show? How long are they kept for?

The GOV.UK website states that adults and children can be asked to have a body scan. It said: “You’ll have the scan in the security area, with a member of airport staff present. It will take just a few seconds.

“Your image will show if you have a colostomy, implant or prosthesis. Security staff have been trained to handle sensitive issues around surgery and treat passengers respectfully.

“After the scan, only you and a security officer will see a mannequin-style diagram on a small screen. No bodily features or skin will be seen. Your scan will be permanently deleted after it’s been assessed by a security officer.”

You can ask for a security officer of the same sex to analyse the screen for your scan. They will not be able to identify you from the scanned image and you will not meet the security officer.

A statement on GOV.UK reads: “If you’re wearing headgear for religious or cultural reasons, you can ask for it to be checked using a hand-held scanner so you do not have to remove it.”

Al Jazeera’s Obaida Hitto reports from southern Lebanon, where displaced residents say they will not leave again despite a sharp rise in deaths and intensifying Israeli strikes.