US Postal Service enforces new mail-in ballot rules ahead of midterms

The United States Postal Service announced on Thursday that new restrictions on the handling of mail‑in ballots will take effect in time for the November 3 midterm elections, after the U.S. Supreme Court approved a rule favored by the Trump administration. The rule requires the Postal Service to compile voter lists supplied by states and deliver ballots only to voters on those lists. The measure is now in place even as several lawsuits challenge its constitutionality and potential impact on voter access.

The Postal Service said the injunctions that had previously blocked the rule were lifted, allowing the agency to implement the new procedure for the November election and any earlier federal contest. The agency’s statement noted that the rule is intended to prevent “significant, imminent, and irreparable harm” by imposing new, burdensome mail‑voting requirements just before the election.

The Supreme Court’s 6‑3 ruling on Monday cleared the way for the Trump‑backed rule in a case that had been brought by dozens of state officials. Those officials had argued that the U.S. Constitution grants states and Congress the authority to conduct elections and that the Trump administration’s changes could create chaos and partisan abuse. The Court did not address the constitutionality of the rule; it merely allowed the Trump administration’s procedural appeal to proceed.

Earlier this year, President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the federal government to produce lists of eligible voters and requiring the Postal Service to deliver mail‑in ballots only to those on those lists. The Postal Service drafted regulations to implement the order but postponed enforcement after Democratic state officials and voting‑rights advocates filed lawsuits in federal courts. The lawsuits argued that the rule would restrict voter access and that the Trump administration had exceeded its authority.

In a fresh legal challenge filed on Wednesday, 24 states, led by Massachusetts, sued the Postal Service and the federal government in a Massachusetts federal court. The attorneys‑general contend that the new restrictions are unconstitutional and that they would inflict “significant, imminent, and irreparable harm” on states by imposing new burdens on voters just weeks before the election.

Mail‑in voting has been a key battleground in recent elections. Federal data show that about 30 percent of ballots cast in the 2024 presidential election were mailed, a share that includes voters from both major parties. Despite President Trump’s repeated claims that mail voting is prone to fraud, independent studies have found the practice to be secure. A 2025 Brookings Institution analysis counted only four fraud cases per 10 million mail ballots, underscoring the rarity of irregularities.

The Supreme Court’s decision, reached by a conservative majority, was a procedural victory for the Trump administration. The Court had earlier dismissed the states’ lawsuit on the grounds that the plaintiffs had sued too early, leaving the question of the rule’s constitutionality unresolved. The Trump administration subsequently appealed on procedural grounds in late July after a judge had ruled in favor of the states for the midterms, citing the premature timing of the lawsuit.

As states prepare to send out millions of mail ballots, the Postal Service’s new restrictions will shape the logistics of ballot distribution. The rule’s implementation will involve compiling voter rolls from state agencies and limiting delivery to those listed, a measure that critics argue could disenfranchise voters who do not appear on state lists.

The legal battles over the rule are expected to continue through the election cycle. Courts in several states have already heard arguments, and the federal case filed by the 24 states may proceed to trial. The outcome of these challenges will determine whether the Postal Service can enforce the new restrictions or whether the rule will be struck down for violating constitutional protections of the right to vote.

In summary, the Postal Service has begun enforcing new mail‑ballot restrictions approved by the Supreme Court, while a coalition of states and voting‑rights groups continues to contest the rule’s legality. The stakes are high, as the rule will affect millions of voters in the upcoming midterm elections, and the legal process may ultimately decide the extent to which mail voting remains accessible and secure.