The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected Donald Trump’s mail ballot restrictions, allowing states to continue sending out mail ballots under their long-standing processes. This decision caps a series of legal actions as voting in the midterm elections is already underway.
The Trump administration had sought to implement new restrictions ahead of the November contests for control of Congress. These proposed changes included a requirement for states to adopt a uniform envelope style and submit voter lists to an online portal, with the postal service potentially refusing delivery to non-compliant states.
Lower courts had previously blocked the Trump administration's plan, with Democratic state officials and voting rights groups arguing that the president lacked constitutional authority to set election rules that could significantly impact mail voting. A whistleblower report also suggested that the postal system's requirements could lead to millions of ballots not being sent due to portal issues.