Story summary
Here's a summary of the real-world news story:
What happened: The Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration to move forward with its plan to restrict mail-in voting, despite opposition from Democratic-led states and election officials. This decision allows the administration to implement new rules for mail ballot delivery, which would require states to use specific formatting for mail ballot envelopes and an electronic system to track ballots.
Why it matters: The ruling has sparked concerns about potential chaos in the upcoming midterm elections, as many voters rely on mail-in voting. California and other Democratic-led states have vowed to sue again to block the Trump administration's plan, which they argue is an attempt to restrict voting rights.
Key players
- President Donald Trump
- Supreme Court justices (who allowed the administration's plan to move forward)
- Gavin Newsom, Governor of California (who plans to sue again to block the Trump administration's plan)
- Election officials and experts who warn about potential chaos in the elections
Timeline: The Supreme Court made its decision on Monday, allowing the Trump administration's plan to move forward. Democratic-led states have since filed a fresh lawsuit to block the US Postal Service from carrying out the plan.
Written for “Trump's Mail-In Ballot Restrictions” on 2026-08-31,
grounded in this article and the 14 other(s) covering the same event.
The United States Postal Service (USPS) on Friday issued a 95-page final rule that it plans to implement immediately if the government obtains relief from two existing injunctions.
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government → issue → injunctions
It would require USPS employees to verify that outbound federal ballot mailings comply with new envelope, barcode, and data-reporting requirements before accepting them from election officials.
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mailings → require → officials
The rule was designed to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive order from March 31.
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rule → design → March
It directs the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration, to compile and send lists of adult citizens in each state.
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It → direct → state
Separately, it directs USPS to establish state-specific lists of people to whom election officials intend to send mail-in or absentee ballots, along with unique ballot-envelope identifiers.
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officials → direct → identifiers
A pair of court orders blocks the rule from implementing the rule before midterm elections in November.
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pair → block → November
About the two injunctions blocking Trump’s mail-in voting order
Two injunctions bar USPS from implementing its new rule.
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injunctions → block → rule
They were issued by Massachusetts U.S. District Court Judge Indira Talwani on June 25 and Aug. 11.
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They → issue → June
What the June Injunction Covers
A coalition of 23 states, along with the District of Columbia, filed a lawsuit on April 3 seeking to block Trump’s executive order, arguing that the President does not have the authority to dictate state voting practices.
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President → file → practices
In June, the presiding judge granted summary judgment to the plaintiffs, finding two sections of the order unlawful and constitutionally invalid.
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sections → preside → order
It barred federal agencies from implementing those sections against plaintiff states and D.C. for elections held on or before Nov. 3.
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It → bar → Nov.
It also blocked USPS from refusing to transmit ballots based on whether voters appeared on the new state-specific lists.
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voters → block → lists
What the August Injunction Covers
Voting-rights groups brought a separate lawsuit against the Trump Administration on April 2, claiming the executive order was unconstitutional, “dangerous,” and could disenfranchise eligible voters.
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order → cover → voters
It resulted in the August injunction, which bars USPS from implementing, enforcing, or giving effect to the executive order’s mail-voting provisions for any elections ahead of or on Nov. 3.
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which → result → Nov.
It also prohibits USPS from completing the specified rulemaking for those elections.
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It → prohibit → elections
Talwani wrote that the executive order was “causing confusion and threatening both increasing chaos and an erosion of trust in our democracy.”
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order → write → democracy
She also concluded that “the executive branch has no authority to regulate elections.”
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branch → conclude → elections
Critics of the executive order have echoed that concern, saying that the Trump Administration is looking to force federal oversight on elections even though the duty is enshrined to states and Congress in the Constitution.
“Yesterday’s new mail-in voting rule is an attempt to weaponize USPS as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to take over elections,” Michael McNulty, the senior policy director for government-reform nonprofit Issue One, said in a statement Saturday.
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McNulty → echo → statement
McNulty argues that the rule would shift postal workers “from neutral transporters of a state-led process to a federal gatekeeper of states’ outbound mail ballots.”
However, the USPS has asserted in the final rule that the requirements “do not amount to election administration, nor do they usurp state resources.”
“Rather, they regulate the use of the mail to improve operational efficiency and support the faithful execution of federal law,” it says within the rule.
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it → argue → rule
Voting-rights groups challenge the USPS mail-in ballot rule
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groups → challenge → rule
A coalition of voting-rights organizations has filed an emergency motion asking the federal district court to enforce its Aug. 11 injunction against USPS.
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coalition → file → USPS
The plaintiffs argue that issuing an immediately effective final rule, intended for possible use in November, violated the injunction.
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issuing → argue → injunction
USPS acknowledged that it would not implement the final rule for the 2026 election unless the government obtains relief from both injunctions.
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government → acknowledge → injunctions
However, the coalition argued that USPS issued the rule in violation of the Aug. 11 injunction, without seeking a stay or filing an appeal.
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USPS → argue → appeal
It also said that USPS could have given the rule an effective date that falls after the 2026 midterms without violating the injunction, while the “immediate” effective date could sow “chaos” and “confusion” ahead of November.
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date → say → November
“Enforcement of the court’s preliminary injunction is necessary to hold this administration accountable for its unlawful action and make clear that voters can confidently cast their mail ballot free from federal interference this November,” said a statement on behalf of the plaintiffs, which includes the League of Women Voters, Association of Americans Resident Overseas, and the U.S. Vote Foundation.
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which → hold → Overseas
Postmaster General David Steiner defended the rule when it was proposed in June, saying at a Senate hearing that he “would think that states would want the information to ensure that the ballots that they think they’re sending out are the ballots that are actually getting sent out.”
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that → defend → that
TIME has reached out to USPS for comment.
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TIME → reach → comment
In late July, the Trump Administration asked the Supreme Court to stay the June 25 injunction while its appeal proceeds.
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appeal → ask → injunction
After Talwani issued the Aug. 11 injunction, the Administration urged the justices to address that second order as well through the pending proceeding—an approach the plaintiff states opposed.
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states → issue → proceeding
But unless the Aug. 11 injunction is separately stayed or lifted, or the Supreme Court expressly addresses it, it continues to bar USPS from implementing its new rule for the midterm elections.
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it → stay → elections
