Supreme Court blocks Trump's plan to restrict mail-in ballots

Supreme Court upholds injunction on US Postal Service mail ballot requirements

The US Supreme Court has upheld a federal judge's order that temporarily blocked the US Postal Service from implementing new requirements for mail ballots ahead of the November midterm elections. The decision leaves existing procedures in place for the current cycle.

The justices declined to lift the injunction against changes outlined in a March executive order. One legal organization described the outcome as preventing disruption to election processes. The ruling is not expected to end the litigation. Justice Brett Kavanaugh joined the decision to maintain the status quo for the 2026 elections but noted a possibility of different consideration once lower courts complete their review.

The White House has not issued a statement on the order. The executive order directed the Postal Service to require unique barcodes on mail ballot envelopes and to maintain an online portal where state and local officials would submit data on voters receiving such ballots. The administration stated that these steps would address potential electoral fraud by improving tracking and verification of ballot materials.

Legal challenges contended that the requirements exceeded the Postal Service's authority and interfered with state control over elections. Officials from 24 Democratic-led states and the District of Columbia submitted filings warning that the measures could not be implemented in time and risked delays in ballot delivery. Several Republican-led states, including Florida, Louisiana, and Montana, filed in support of the order.

Justice Kavanaugh wrote that the final rule appeared to fall within the Postal Service's statutory authority yet concluded that applying it for the upcoming elections would be arbitrary and capricious. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, stating that the challenge amounted to an attempt unlikely to succeed on the merits and emphasizing the Postal Service's broad authority to regulate mail.

Roughly 30 percent of voters used mail ballots in the prior general election, with higher usage in states such as Oregon, Washington, and Colorado. Seven Republican state election officials cautioned that altering mail procedures close to the election date would increase the chance of errors and confusion. Local officials in multiple jurisdictions told reporters they were continuing normal operations while preparing alternative plans.

In Cherokee County, Georgia, election director Anne Dover stated that the changes would have left thousands of voters without ballots. The county, which supported the president with 69 percent of the vote in 2024, recorded about 10,000 mail ballots that year. Trevor Potter of the Campaign Legal Center said the decision prevented the Postal Service from creating disorder in election administration.

Since taking office, the president has directed federal agencies to examine mail voting procedures. The March order specified the barcode and data-portal requirements. Twenty-three states and Washington, DC, filed suit. The postal workers' union submitted that training could not be completed before the election.

The administration argued in court that states using federal mail services remain subject to Postal Service regulations issued under congressional authority. On 4 September, Judge Indira Talwani of the US District Court in Boston issued the injunction, finding that implementation near the election date risked disenfranchising voters. An appeals court declined to stay that order. A separate federal judge, Carl Nichols, also ruled against the order last week.

Several states have already begun sending mail ballots. Others that had printed materials indicated that redesigning envelopes and systems would require restarting production at additional cost. Adams County, Colorado, clerk and recorder Josh Zygielbaum said any last-minute change would have been expensive and disruptive, noting that envelopes were already printed. Colorado runs its elections primarily by mail and had developed contingency measures.

In June, the Supreme Court ruled that states may count ballots postmarked by election day, rejecting an administration request to require receipt by the close of polls. Some states continue to distribute ballots under current rules while litigation proceeds.