US Postal Service Implements Mail-in Ballot Restrictions Amid Ongoing Legal Challenges

The United States Postal Service has implemented new restrictions on handling mail-in ballots, a move that follows a Supreme Court ruling in favor of changes championed by President Donald Trump. These new procedures require the agency to compile lists of eligible voters, using input from U.S. states, and to deliver ballots only to individuals on these verified lists.

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The government subsequently received such relief from those injunctions, meaning the injunctions no longer preclude the implementation of the Rule for November 3, 2026 or any earlier federal election.

The Postal Service announced these changes on Thursday, as states prepare to mail millions of ballots for the upcoming U.S. midterm elections on November 3. The agency stated that it received relief from previous injunctions, allowing the implementation of these rules for the November election. This decision came after the Supreme Court, with its 6-3 conservative majority, ruled in favor of the Trump administration in a key challenge brought by officials from numerous states.

Despite the Supreme Court's decision, legal battles over the new measures continue. On Wednesday, 24 states filed a fresh case in a federal court in Massachusetts. State attorneys-general contend that the new requirements are unconstitutional and will inflict "significant, imminent, and irreparable harm" on states by imposing burdensome new voting rules shortly before the elections.

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The government subsequently received such relief from those injunctions, meaning the injunctions no longer preclude the implementation of the Rule for November 3, 2026 or any earlier federal election.

Mail-in voting has been a frequent target for President Trump, who has repeatedly claimed it leads to fraud, despite a lack of strong evidence and his own use of the method. He has expressed concerns about states adequately verifying voters' eligibility and citizenship. These new restrictions stem from an executive order Trump signed in March, directing his administration to create lists of eligible voters and instructing the Postal Service to deliver mail-in ballots exclusively to those on these lists. The Postal Service had initially developed regulations based on this directive but paused their implementation due to legal challenges from Democratic officials and voting rights groups across numerous states.

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significant, imminent, and irreparable harm