Supreme Court Blocks Trump’s Last‑Minute Mail Ballot Restrictions Ahead of Midterms

The Supreme Court on Monday rejected President Donald Trump’s effort to impose new restrictions on mail ballots for the upcoming midterm elections, ending a flurry of last‑minute legal challenges as voting was already underway.

The decision lets states continue using their existing mail‑ballot procedures, which have accounted for roughly a third of all votes cast in recent elections.

The ruling represents a sharp rebuke to Trump, who has repeatedly claimed that mail voting threatens election integrity despite a lack of evidence for widespread fraud. The Court’s majority signaled that the administration’s push to enforce the restrictions would likely fail, though Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the limits should not apply to the midterms but left open the possibility of a future ruling in the administration’s favor.

Mail ballots already being sent to voters

Election officials have begun mailing ballots in several states—Alabama, North Carolina, Wisconsin, Washington, Arizona, and Utah—while the new federal system was still not operational. State leaders, both Democrats and Republicans, praised the Court’s decision, saying it allows them to proceed with safe, secure elections without abrupt, disruptive changes.

The Trump administration had sought to require states to adopt uniform ballot envelopes and submit voter lists through an online portal, with the Postal Service able to withhold delivery for non‑compliant states. Officials in Washington’s Secretary of State Steve Hobbs and Arizona’s Secretary of State Adrian Fontes emphasized that access and security can coexist, and Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson said the ruling ensures “Utahns can have confidence that the 2026 election will proceed as normal.”

State officials and voting rights groups pushed back

Democratic state officials and voting‑rights groups challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that the president lacks constitutional authority to dictate election rules that would effectively eliminate mail voting. The League of Women Voters, a plaintiff, called the plan “an extraordinary attempt to interfere with voting” that would have created chaos. “Voters should never be caught in the middle of a political power warfare,” said CEO Celina Stewart.

Lower courts had already issued preliminary injunctions blocking the plan, including one from a judge nominated by the president. The administration appealed to the Supreme Court, claiming federal control over the Postal Service allowed it to set mail‑ballot rules, but the Court’s order leaves the injunction in place.

Trump, who votes by mail himself, has long opposed mail voting, falsely attributing his 2020 loss to President Joe Biden to the practice. The White House and Justice Department have not responded to immediate requests for comment on the ruling.

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