Supreme Court rejects challenge to mail-in ballot counting rules
Supreme Court rejects challenge to mail-in ballot counting rules, upholding lower court blocks.
Event / Politics
Trump Mail-in Voting Restrictions Appeal
Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court to overturn lower court orders blocking implementation of March 2026 executive order restricting mail-in voting and creating federal voter citizenship lists. Democratic-led states challenge the order as unconstitutional.
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2026-08-14 to 2026-11-11 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 28 Jul, 00:18 UTC
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What happened
Federal judge blocks Trump executive order on mail-in voting in multiple states
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of the District of Massachusetts ruled in June 2026 that parts of Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting exceeded the president's constitutional authority and blocked its enforcement in jurisdictions where it was challenged. The ruling noted that implementing the order for September and November elections would cause confusion and threaten voter disenfranchisement.
Trump promotes mail-in voting restrictions as election security safeguard
President Trump has promoted his mail-in voting restrictions as measures to prevent non-U.S. citizens from voting. Trump has made false claims of widespread election fraud and vowed to end mail-in voting nationwide before the midterm elections, despite evidence showing that noncitizen voting is rare and constitutes a felony punishable by deportation.
Appeals court upholds block on Trump mail-in voting executive order
The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision to block Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting over the weekend before July 27, 2026. The appellate panel found that if the order took effect before the September and November elections, it would create confusion and threaten voter disenfranchisement.
Trump administration appeals to Supreme Court to lift mail-in voting restrictions
President Donald Trump's administration filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court on July 27, 2026, requesting the justices lift a lower court order blocking implementation of Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting. The appeal was filed by U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer, arguing that the district court's injunction was premature because federal agencies were still deliberating on implementation details.
Twenty-three states and D.C. sue to block Trump mail-in voting executive order
Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia filed a federal lawsuit challenging Trump's executive order on mail-in voting, arguing that the U.S. Constitution grants states and Congress authority to set election rules, not the president. The lawsuit states that Trump's proposed changes are susceptible to abuse and could cause election administration chaos. A group of 12 Republican state attorneys general intervened in the case to defend the order.
Judge rules Trump administration cannot compile accurate voter citizenship lists
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani found that federal agencies lack the technical ability to compile accurate citizen lists for each state for purposes of Trump's mail-in voting executive order, undermining a key component of the president's directive.
Supreme Court rejects challenge to state mail-in ballot counting rules
In June 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected a Republican-backed legal challenge to state laws that allow mail-in ballots received after Election Day to be counted.
Trump issues executive order requiring citizenship list for mail-in voters
In March 2026, President Trump issued an executive order directing U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Social Security Administration to create a federal list of eligible voters in each state, and requiring the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list. The order also calls for ballots to include secure envelopes with unique barcodes for tracking and authorizes withholding federal funding from states and localities that do not comply.
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2 alternative perspectives
Trump's mail-in voting order faces Supreme Court appeal after court blocks
Trump appeals Supreme Court after courts block mail-in voting citizenship verification order.