RismadarVoice Reporters
September 6, 2026
The administration of US President Donald Trump has appealed to the Supreme Court in an effort to revive new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections.
The emergency appeal was filed after a federal judge blocked the United States Postal Service (USPS) from implementing parts of an executive order that would allow federal authorities to introduce new requirements for handling mail-in ballots.
The Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to temporarily permit the USPS to track mail-in ballots and determine whether certain ballots could be rejected, as some states have already started distributing postal voting materials ahead of the elections.
US District Judge Indira Talwani had earlier ruled that the administration’s directives were likely unconstitutional, arguing that election administration authority remains primarily with individual states.
The judge also raised concerns about the timing of the changes, saying that implementing new rules close to election day could affect millions of Americans who rely on mail-in voting.
In its appeal, the administration argued that the USPS rules do not take control of state election systems but only establish what it described as “reasonable preparation requirements” for federal election ballots sent through the postal system.
US Solicitor General John Sauer said the measures would require states to provide information such as voters’ names, addresses and barcode details through an online system, while states would continue to control voter eligibility decisions and ballot counting procedures.
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has set a deadline for responses to the administration’s request.
The latest filing marks the third time the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene in the dispute. The court previously allowed the plan to proceed temporarily but has not ruled on its legality.
The case has drawn national attention because control of the US Congress will be contested during the November midterm elections, making decisions on voting procedures a significant issue.
Trump has previously criticised mail-in voting, alleging that it is vulnerable to fraud, though opponents of the restrictions argue that the measures could limit access to voting.
Supporters of mail-in voting maintain that the system is widely used by voters across political parties, with studies showing participation among both Democratic and Republican voters.
