The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected President Trump’s proposal to tighten mail-in voting rules ahead of the crucial midterm elections.
Published September 15, 2026
The U.S. Supreme Court has rejected President Donald Trump’s proposal to allow the U.S. Postal Service to enforce rules targeting mail-in voting.
On Monday, a conservative-majority court refused to lift U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s order blocking the measure, dealing a blow to President Trump’s efforts to restrict mail-in voting ahead of November’s midterm elections.
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The Postal Service adopted the rules after President Trump signed an executive order in March that tightened rules for voting by mail. Under the measure, states would be required to send a list of recipients to the post office and use ballot envelopes pre-approved by the post office.
The Postal Service was allowed to reject ballots if they did not comply with new standards or were not associated with a registered voter on the rolls.
Mr. Talwani imposed an injunction to block the rule, arguing that it likely violates the U.S. Constitution and is inapplicable given the approaching midterm elections.
Shortly after, the Trump administration filed an emergency request with the Supreme Court asking it to approve “important federal policies that prevent the mail from being used to commit voter fraud.”
In late August, the Supreme Court temporarily allowed President Trump’s executive order to take effect on procedural grounds, but did not rule on the legality of the plan.
In its latest decision, the court said in an unsigned order that the administration is “unlikely to succeed on the merits” of its challenge. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, with Justice Alito writing that some of the plaintiffs, in what the court recently called a “Hail Mary pass,” lack standing, while others are pursuing their claims.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a Trump appointee, voted against the administration in the majority, but indicated he might support the policy at a later stage.
Critics have warned that the restrictions could disrupt the delivery of thousands of ballots and disenfranchise groups that rely on mail-in voting. In some primarily Democratic states, voters primarily vote by mail. Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun mailing out ballots for the midterm elections.
President Trump has long raised questions about the security of voting by mail, repeatedly making debunked claims of widespread election fraud, even though he personally voted by mail, including during the 2024 election.
