Mail Voting

The extraordinary danger is that a president who believes he is the law, and the law is him, remains intent on disrupting the electoral processThis was originally published in The Stakes 2026, a newsletter about the midterm elections. Sign up to get it in your inbox For the millions of Americans who vote by mail – almost a third of the country – the week began with significant uncertainty that they would be able to easily submit their ballot this fall, thanks to a March executive order from Donald Trump that aimed to restrict mail-in ballots. By Monday night, the supreme court restored a measure of order by rebuking the president and rejecting his plan – but Trump’s frothing response portends more danger for the rapidly approaching midterms.Trump’s March order forbade the US Postal Service from delivering mailed ballots to anyone the administration deemed ineligible. The Department of Homeland Security, working with the Social Security Administration, would have devised that list of supposedly ineligible, noncitizen voters. On its face, the move appeared plainly illegal. One expert told the Guardian’s Sam Levine, “This is a wholly unconstitutional EO,” because ultimately the federal government cannot set election rules; only states can. Continue reading...

• The U.S. Supreme Court blocked an attempt by the Trump administration to impose federal control over mail-in voting before the midterm elections. • The blocked executive order sought to create a federal voter database and threatened election officials with criminal prosecution or loss of federal funding for noncompliance. • This ruling prevents the federal government from restricting the United States Postal Service to transmitting ballots only to voters on a specific federal list.

• The Supreme Court rejected restrictions on mail-in voting proposed by Donald Trump before the midterm elections. • The Kennedy Center reported it is on the brink of bankruptcy and may close soon. • A decline in ticket sales and donations from artists and audiences who view the center as too politicized threatens the institution's financial stability.

• The US Supreme Court blocked an administration attempt to change midterm voting processes, allowing states to continue using mail-in ballots. • Civil rights groups praised the verdict after the administration made a last-ditch effort to alter how voters cast their ballots. • This decision ensures that millions of voters can maintain their current access to mail-in voting options for the upcoming elections.

• The Supreme Court rejected the Trump administration's attempt to impose severe restrictions on mail-in voting just weeks before the midterm elections. • In a 7-2 decision, the court upheld a lower court's injunction that prevents the United States Postal Service from implementing new rules regarding who can receive a mail-in ballot. • This ruling prevents the implementation of restrictions that election officials warned would upend the voting process for citizens in November.

• The Supreme Court rejected Donald Trump’s attempt to restrict the use of mail-in ballots for the midterm elections. • The court's decision allows states to maintain the same mail ballot processes they have used for years. • This ruling ensures that current voting procedures remain unchanged for voters and election officials during the active election cycle.

• The Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s plan on Monday to change how mail-in ballots are sent to voters for the current midterm elections. • Election officials warned that the proposed changes would have had catastrophic consequences for the voting process. • The ruling prevents the implementation of rules that Republican attorneys general sought but their own election officials claimed they could not execute.

• The Supreme Court rejected a request from the Trump administration to implement mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm general election. • The court blocked the administration's attempt to apply these limits under a specific U.S. Postal Service plan. • This decision prevents the government from restricting how voters use mail-in ballots during the upcoming midterm elections.

• The Supreme Court denied a request on September 14, 2026, to allow a Trump administration plan to change mail-in voting rules before the midterm elections. • The Court's order blocks the government from overturning a District Court preliminary injunction that had previously stopped the policy changes. • This decision ensures that current mail voting procedures remain in place for voters and election officials during the upcoming election cycle.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Monday that states must continue sending out mail ballots using their existing long-term processes. • The decision follows a challenge by Democratic state officials and voting rights groups who argued the president lacked the constitutional authority to restrict mail voting. • This ruling ensures that mail-in voting remains available to voters and prevents the federal government from using Postal Service control to eliminate the practice before a major election.

• U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols issued a temporary freeze late Sunday on an executive order from President Donald Trump that limited mail balloting. • This ruling matches a previous directive from Judge Indira Talwani in Boston barring the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing the new regulations. • The decision prevents the administration from implementing these mail voting restrictions before the upcoming midterm elections.

• U.S. District Court Judge Carl Nichols blocked a new government rule restricting mail voting on Sunday night. • Judge Nichols, a Trump appointee, noted that the federal government provided no record evidence to support claims that significant fraud would occur without the restrictions. • This ruling prevents the immediate implementation of mail voting limits that could have impacted voter access in upcoming elections.

• Donald Trump issued an executive order in March requiring the US Postal Service to maintain a list of eligible voters and block mailed ballots to anyone not on that list. • Federal courts issued an injunction blocking the US Postal Service rule-making guidance that was intended to implement this order. • This effort attempts to shift the power of election administration from state officials to the federal government.

The US Supreme Court is ​still weighing the administration’s ⁠request to ​overturn a separate ​order ​blocking the ​ruleSign up for the Breaking News US email to get newsletter alerts in your inboxHello and welcome to the US politics live blog.A second ⁠federal ⁠judge has prevented ⁠Donald Trump’s administration from implementing ⁠a ​new ‌US ‌Postal Service ‌rule that would tighten mail-in voting requirements.Trump on Sunday called on Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy to halt strikes on Russian oil refineries and other infrastructure used to produce and distribute diesel, saying the attacks are causing a global shortage. He spoke after diesel prices in the US hit a record on Friday, soaring past $6 a gallon on average.British ministers face calls to act after US authorities secretly flew out of the UK a diplomat accused of possessing indecent images of children. US officials reportedly raided the diplomat’s London flat in August before taking him to an American airbase and flying him out of the country, without warning the Metropolitan police.A newly unveiled statue of the rightwing activist Charlie Kirk was vandalized at the Turning Point USA headquarters in Phoenix, Arizona. The statue was found with red spray-paint. A nearby poster memorial in front of the statue was vandalized with red paint as well.A coroner in Pennsylvania announced the death of a 40-year-old woman associated with the state’s ongoing measles outbreak. The death appears to mark the third in the US state’s ongoing outbreak. Two previous deaths in the state were in infant children. In one case, the infant was born with a genetic defect that made her vulnerable to infection. The second infant child was infected with measles, and died of a ruptured spleen.A Republican congressman said he had to swim to safety after a plane he was traveling in made an emergency landing in a lake late Saturday. Representative Tom Tiffany says he was returning from the La Crosse county Lincoln Day Dinner when the light aircraft lost power as it approached Wausau downtown airport. The pilot made an emergency landing in Lake Wausau. They both ended up in the water and swam to safety.Barack Obama urged Democrats to prioritize a “public conversation” about AI management and safety in a closed-door Manhattan fundraiser last week. The comments by the former US president reportedly urged the party to create a sweeping framework for everything from a safety “slow-down” to domestic job losses and children’s wellbeing. Continue reading...

• A U.S. appeals court rejected a bid by the Trump administration to implement new USPS mail-in voting restrictions. • The court declined to lift a lower court injunction that prevents the postal service from enforcing stricter voting requirements. • This ruling ensures that the USPS cannot apply these new restrictions to voters before upcoming elections.

Court declined to ⁠put on hold ⁠injunction preventing the USPS from tightening rules around postal votingA US appeals court has rejected Donald Trump’s bid to impose sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting before November’s midterm elections, dealing a fresh blow to the president’s attempted crackdown.The Boston-based first US circuit court of appeals declined to ⁠put on hold an ⁠injunction issued by a ​lower court judge last week, preventing the US Postal Service from tightening rules around postal voting. Continue reading...

Legal fight continues as states begin sending out ballots for voters to vote by mail in November’s midterm electionsThe Trump administration renewed its appeal to the US supreme court on Sunday to allow restrictions on mail-in voting, after a federal judge had blocked new limits on such ballots, just ahead of November’s midterm elections.The latest filing follows a decision by US district court judge Indira Talwani on Friday to extend a court order preventing the US Postal Service (USPS) from enforcing Donald Trump’s executive order.The Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...

• A federal judge extended a prohibition on Friday against the U.S. Postal Service implementing an executive order from President Donald Trump to limit mail-in voting. • The court order prevents the administration from restricting mail voting processes specifically during the upcoming midterm elections. • This ruling ensures that voters who rely on mail-in ballots can continue to use the service without the limitations proposed by the executive order.

Indira Talwani’s ruling presents major setback for president as first states begin to send out mail ballots for midtermsA federal judge on Friday extended her prohibition against the US Postal Service implementing Donald Trump’s executive order seeking to limit mail voting during the midterms, putting another major obstacle in the way of the administration as the first states begin sending out mail ballots.The preliminary injunction from US district court judge Indira Talwani replaces a temporary order she granted blocking the USPS plan. Continue reading...

• Judge Indira Talwani criticized a new Postal Service rule regarding mail-in voting that she believes could lead to major disenfranchisement of voters. • The judge described the rule as a haphazard experiment that could result in valid ballots being tossed. • This ruling suggests that state legislators in places like Texas should pass their own laws to ensure election integrity rather than relying on the U.S. Postal Service to screen votes.

• Lawsuits and whistleblower claims have been filed to challenge the Trump administration's attempts to alter mail-in voting rules ahead of the upcoming elections. • Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) highlighted a whistleblower letter alleging the U.S. Postal Service is rushing to create an online ballot screening system. • Critics argue these policy changes and technical implementations could jeopardize the integrity and efficiency of the midterm elections.

• The Trump administration has petitioned the Supreme Court to lift a temporary block on a U.S. Postal Service plan designed to restrict mail-in voting. • This legal move is part of a broader effort by President Trump to limit the use of mail-in ballots for the upcoming midterm elections. • The outcome is critical as it determines the accessibility of voting methods and the operational guidelines for the USPS during a high-stakes election cycle.

• U.S. states are preparing for potential last-minute legal shifts regarding mail-in voting restrictions ahead of a critical midterm election deadline. • The legal battle centers on the extent of federal control over the voting process, with the possibility of the Supreme Court intervening to resolve the dispute. • This conflict is significant as it could alter how ballots are cast and processed, potentially impacting voter access and election outcomes.

• President Donald Trump is attempting to change voting rules just two months before the 2026 midterm elections. • The initiative specifically targets mail-in voting procedures, but the changes currently await a necessary legal greenlight to proceed. • This effort creates significant uncertainty for election administration and could potentially disrupt the voting process for millions of citizens.

• Former President Donald Trump is proposing changes to mail-in voting procedures that could significantly impact election outcomes in key states ranging from Florida to California. • The proposed shifts aim to restrict or alter how mail-in ballots are cast and processed, targeting specific vulnerabilities in current state-level voting laws. • These changes matter because they could shift the balance of power in critical swing states and affect voter turnout across diverse demographics.

• A whistleblower report released Tuesday by a Democratic senator reveals that the US Postal Service is developing a sweeping new system for verifying mail-in ballots. • Internal agency officials have raised significant IT concerns regarding the project, with some describing the implementation process as a "sh*t show." • The report suggests these plans have been hidden from the public, raising transparency issues regarding the integrity of ballot processing.

• The Trump administration has petitioned the First Circuit Court of Appeals to revive key portions of a U.S. Postal Service rule regarding mail-in ballots. • The request seeks to pause a federal judge's temporary 14-day block on the rule, arguing the lower court's order should be treated as an appealable preliminary injunction. • This legal battle is significant as it impacts the administration's ability to implement specific USPS regulations governing the handling and processing of mail ballots.

• A whistleblower has alleged that the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) repeatedly and secretly violated multiple court orders to support President Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting. • The report claims the USPS disregarded judicial mandates while the Department of Justice sought legal relief from the Supreme Court. • These actions are significant as they suggest a coordinated attempt to undermine voting access ahead of the upcoming midterm elections.