Supreme Court Rejects Trump’s Mail-In Voting Restrictions

The Supreme Court has ruled against President Trump’s attempt to impose new restrictions on mail-in voting for the upcoming midterm elections. This decision allows the U.S. Postal Service to continue delivering mail-in ballots without additional constraints.

Voting by mail is already underway in various states, including Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Several Western states, such as Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, will conduct elections mainly through mail ballots.

The blocked USPS plan, following Trump’s executive order, required states to provide lists of voters’ names and addresses and include specific barcodes on ballot envelopes to ensure delivery. A federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction against these requirements, citing the Postal Service’s lack of authority over mail-in voting. Another federal judge upheld this injunction shortly afterward.

The Supreme Court has decided to maintain the injunction. The court stated that the Trump administration is unlikely to succeed in its legal arguments. Justice Brett Kavanaugh acknowledged a possibility that the rule might align with the Postal Service’s authority, but implementing it for the 2026 elections would be unfeasible due to timing constraints for election officials.

Some Republican state election officials, including those in Utah, warned in a Supreme Court brief that enforcing the USPS plan now would lead to errors and confusion. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas disagreed with the order, suggesting the ruling should be paused.

President Trump had previously claimed that the rule change was necessary to prevent illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens. However, studies indicate such fraud is minimal, and the administration provided no evidence of widespread mail-voting fraud in court.

Despite Trump’s opposition to mail-in voting, he himself participated in this method in Florida this year. Notably, mail ballots are used more by Democrats (37%) than Republicans (24%), as reported by the MIT Election Data and Science Lab following the 2024 elections.

NPR has disclosed that USPS is a financial supporter of the organization.