US Supreme Court blocks Trump's mail-in ballot restrictions before midterms

The US Supreme Court on Monday halted the Trump administration's last-minute push to overhaul mail-in voting rules, a method that accounts for nearly a third of all ballots cast nationwide. The decision comes as voting is already underway in several states.

The court's majority indicated the administration's restrictions are likely to fail in court, though the brief emergency order did not explain its reasoning in detail. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented, with Alito arguing the Postal Service has broad authority over mail regulation and could likely enforce the proposed rules. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed the changes should not take effect for the midterms but signalled he could rule differently if the matter returns to the court later.

The administration's plan would have required states to adopt a uniform ballot envelope design and submit voter lists through a new online portal, with the Postal Service empowered to refuse delivery to non-compliant states. Election officials warned that a full system overhaul could not realistically be completed in the weeks before the vote — Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin had already begun mailing ballots under the old system before the ruling.

The decision marks a significant setback for Trump, who has long championed restricting mail voting as an election-security measure despite scant evidence of fraud involving mail ballots. Trump himself has voted by mail, including this year, while continuing to blame the method for his 2020 election defeat.

Democratic state officials and voting rights groups had challenged the plan in court, arguing the president lacks constitutional authority to dictate election procedures. A whistleblower report warned that flaws in the unfinished verification portal could cause a single barcode error to invalidate entire batches of ballots. Officials in states such as Washington, Arizona and Utah welcomed the ruling, saying it allows election preparations to continue without last-minute disruption.