As early voting gets underway in many states, voters can continue to rely on existing mail-in voting procedures for the 2026 midterm elections. On September 14, the US Supreme Court declined to allow the Trump administration to implement new restrictions that would have given the USPS a greater role in determining which voters could receive mail-in ballots. The decision left a lower court order blocking the restrictions in place, allowing states to continue using their existing systems for the November election.
The ruling followed Trump’s Executive Order 14399, issued in March 2026, which took effect in August 2026. The Executive Order required states to adopt a “uniform envelope style” and to submit lists of eligible voters to an online portal. It gave the USPS the authority to refuse to deliver ballots to noncompliant states. In its appeal to the Supreme Court, the Trump administration argued that additional measures like this were needed to preserve election integrity, but that claim was disputed.
Concerns also emerged about whether the new system could function reliably before the midterm elections. A whistleblower report revealed that ballots may never be sent because of systemic and programmatic flaws. Implementing a new federal system shortly before an election could create additional obstacles for state and local election officials, potentially leaving voters uncertain about whether their ballots would reach them in time. Despite knowing about these flaws, the Trump administration remained ready to disenfranchise voters further.
The proposed restrictions posed particular challenges for states that rely heavily on mail-in voting, including California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington. Many voters in these states regularly receive and return ballots by mail, making established mail-voting systems central to election administration. Requiring these states to adopt new procedures shortly before Election Day could have complicated ballot distribution and created uncertainty for election officials and voters alike.
Before the Supreme Court issued its emergency docket ruling, lower courts had blocked the new USPS requirements after states and voting rights groups challenged. The Supreme Court’s decision did not resolve every legal question surrounding the administration’s plans. Instead, it left the lower court’s order in place for the upcoming election, with the justices concluding that the government was unlikely to succeed in its challenge. The ruling allows states to proceed with their existing mail-in voting procedures while the broader legal dispute continues.
Although the Supreme Court decision preserves existing mail-in voting procedures, the legal fight will likely continue over the USPS’s potential role in future federal elections.
For now, eligible voters can continue to use the mail-in voting options available in their states. Voters should check their state and local election officials’ websites for ballot request deadlines, return deadlines, and instructions for confirming that their ballots have been received. With Election Day approaching, understanding the rules in your state can help you make a plan to cast your ballot. For more information, visit vote411.org/feminist.
