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🇮🇳 India /Crime & Justice

Trump administration again asks Supreme Court to restrict mail-in voting before midterms

From Times of India · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to lift a lower-court block on new mail-in ballot requirements before the November congressional elections.
  • Solicitor General John Sauer said keeping the restrictions suspended could create confusion as states begin sending ballots, while opponents have until Wednesday to respond.
  • The rules would require voter lists and unique barcodes for mail ballots and allow the Postal Service to reject ballots that fail to meet the requirements.

The Trump administration has returned to the US Supreme Court in an effort to put new mail-in voting restrictions into effect before states send millions of ballots for November’s congressional elections.

The emergency filing, submitted Sunday, asks the justices to lift a federal court order blocking a US Postal Service rule. US District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston extended the block on Friday, prompting the administration to file a new application.

Solicitor General John Sauer argued that leaving the restrictions suspended could create uncertainty as states begin distributing ballots. He warned that each day the injunction remains in place “risks sowing confusion and chaos” as more voters receive mail ballots. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson gave opponents until Wednesday to respond.

The dispute comes as the November 3 midterm elections approach. North Carolina mailed the first ballots for the election on Friday, so the timing of the Supreme Court’s decision could affect states already moving forward with postal voting.

The Postal Service rule would implement an executive order President Donald Trump signed in March. States would have to provide USPS with lists of voters receiving mail ballots, while ballot envelopes would need unique barcodes. USPS could reject ballots that failed to meet the new requirements or were linked to voters missing from the lists.

The administration previously sought Supreme Court intervention after Talwani issued an earlier temporary injunction. Before the justices ruled, the judge extended the restriction on Friday. Mail-in voting is available in every US state, though the rules differ. Twenty-nine states allow voters to request a mail ballot without giving a reason, while eight conduct elections entirely by mail. Trump has repeatedly called for tighter controls and made unsubstantiated claims that widespread fraud caused his defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

risks sowing confusion and chaos

· John SauerThe solicitor general warned about the consequences of keeping the restrictions blocked as ballots are distributed.
About this summary

Originally published by Times of India in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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