The Supreme Court has sided against President Trump, rejecting his administration’s efforts to impose new mail-in voting restrictions for the midterm general election. The ruling, released on Monday, ensures that the U.S. Postal Service will continue delivering ballots under existing procedures.
The disputed plan, stemming from an executive order signed by Trump, would have required states to provide lists of voter names and addresses and attach specific barcodes to ballot envelopes to facilitate delivery by the postal service. However, a federal judge in Boston issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month, blocking the USPS from enforcing these requirements. The judge determined that the Postal Service likely lacks the legal authority to dictate mail-in voting rules.
A majority of the Supreme Court has now decided to keep that injunction in place. This decision comes as voting by mail is already underway in several states, including Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. Other states, particularly in the West such as Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, are expected to begin their primarily or fully mail-based elections shortly.
Trump argued that the changes were necessary to prevent illegal voting by non-U.S. citizens. However, numerous studies and audits have shown that such fraud is extremely rare. During the legal proceedings regarding the USPS plan, the administration provided courts with no evidence of widespread mail-voting fraud.
Trump has been a longstanding critic of mail voting, which was used by approximately one-third of voters in the last two federal elections. Data from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab indicates that in 2024, 37% of Democratic voters reported casting ballots by mail, compared to 24% of Republican voters. Last year, Trump posted on social media that he intended to “get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” claiming that “ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING.” Despite his public stance, Trump himself voted by mail in Florida during this year’s elections.
Interesting that the Boston judge blocked this based on USPS legal authority. Does this set a precedent for future postal regulations?
Wait, did Trump vote by mail this year? That seems like a pretty big contradiction to his public stance on the issue.
Finally, some judicial common sense. The fraud claims were baseless, and this keeps voting accessible for everyone.