The Straits Times World News
· collected 2026-09-04 · by The Straits Times
The US midterm elections began on September 4 amidst confusion over President Donald Trump's plan to impose new restrictions on mail-in voting, which could delay or disqualify ballots due to a single barcode problem. A federal judge has blocked some of these restrictions, but Trump is seeking to revive them through the Supreme Court. As a result, voters and election officials are unclear about what rules will govern millions of mail-in ballots, with 4 states already sending out ballots despite the uncertainty. The dispute centers on whether states must use a new federal portal to provide lists of eligible mail voters to the US Postal Service.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-05,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Trump administration has been pushing for new rules that would restrict mail-in voting, citing concerns about voter fraud. However, experts and officials from both parties have expressed concern that these rules could lead to widespread disenfranchisement of voters. The USPS was ordered by President Trump to implement these changes, which include requiring election officials to add unique barcodes to ballot envelopes and upload lists of people who requested ballots. However, a federal judge in Massachusetts has blocked the implementation of these new rules, citing concerns that they would be "virtually impossible" to comply with.
The new rules were set to take effect just weeks before the midterm elections, which are scheduled for November 3. North Carolina became the first state to start sending out mail-in ballots on Friday, despite the uncertainty surrounding the new federal rules. The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to lift a lower court's block on the order, but it remains unclear whether these changes will be allowed to take effect.
Critics of the new rules argue that they are an attempt by the Trump administration to centralize control of elections and undermine state authority over voting procedures. Notably, President Trump himself votes by mail, as do about a third of all U.S. voters. The Supreme Court is currently considering the legality of these changes, but it remains unclear how this will ultimately affect the election process.
Meanwhile, election officials are warning that implementing these new rules could lead to millions of ballots going undelivered. A whistleblower has warned that there are "potentially catastrophic problems" with the new system for handling federal election ballot mail. The implementation of these changes is being closely watched by election officials and voters across the country, who are concerned about the potential disruptions to the midterms.
Written for “Trump Mail Voting Restrictions” on 2026-09-05,
grounded in this article and the 15 other(s) covering the same event.
US midterm elections begin with chaos over mail-in voting crackdown
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elections → begin → crackdown
America’s midterm elections opened on Sept 4 in a fog of confusion over mail-in voting, with ballots already going out as President Donald Trump presses courts to let him impose sweeping new restrictions on how they are handled.
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they → open → restrictions
North Carolina became the first state authorised to begin sending out ballots, formally launching an election season that culminates on Nov 3 and will determine control of Congress for the final two years of Trump’s term.
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that → become → term
Yet voters and election officials still do not know what rules may govern millions of mail-in ballots, as Trump asks the Supreme Court to revive curbs blocked by a federal judge and as states scramble to prepare for changes that could come after voting has begun.
uncertain
voting → know → changes
The dispute has been compounded by whistleblower allegations that a new Postal Service verification system was rushed, inadequately tested, and could delay or even disqualify entire batches of ballots because of a single barcode problem.
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system → compound → problem
A federal judge weighing whether to extend the temporary block on Trump’s plan warned on Sept 4 that hurried changes could cause widespread disruption.
“We’re not playing an intellectual puzzle game,” Judge Indira Talwani reportedly told a lawyer defending the restrictions, in remarks widely picked up by US media.
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Talwani → weigh → media
We’re talking about people’s right to vote.”
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We → talk → right
Trump’s March executive order would require states to provide the US Postal Service with lists of eligible mail voters through a new federal portal.
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order → require → portal
Rules in limbo
Ballot envelopes would also need individual barcodes and other design features, with USPS empowered to refuse mailings that fail to meet its requirements.
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that → need → requirements
The administration says the rules are to protect election integrity, although it has produced no evidence of significant fraud through mail voting.
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it → say → voting
Trump has repeatedly denounced the practice as corrupt while using it himself – including to vote in Florida’s Republican primary in August.
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Trump → denounce → August
The uncertainty comes on top of a voting system that already differs dramatically from state to state.
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that → come → state
Some automatically send ballots to registered voters, others require voters to request them, while identification requirements, return deadlines and rules for counting late-arriving ballots vary across the country.
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requirements → send → country
Election officials now face the additional prospect of federal requirements changing while voting is already under way.
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voting → face → way
“The states set the time, place and manner of elections in this country, not the president,” Marc Elias, the founder of voting rights platform Democracy Docket, said on his YouTube show.
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Elias → set → show
“In fact, the Congress can override the states in many instances, but in no instance can the president.
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president → override → instance
The president is given no power over federal elections.”
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president → give → elections
North Carolina officials said mailings on Sept 4 would proceed normally and that the state has no plans to use the federal portal at the centre of the dispute.
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state → say → dispute
But time is rapidly running out for any nationwide overhaul.
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time → run → overhaul
Sept 4 marks 60 days before Election Day – the deadline Trump’s order itself envisioned for states to submit voter information – while another 18 states are expected to begin distributing ballots roughly 45 days before Nov 3.
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states → mark → Nov
That leaves little room for officials to redesign envelopes, update computer systems, train workers and upload voter data if the courts suddenly allow the restrictions to take effect.
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restrictions → leave → effect
Concerns intensified this week after an anonymous USPS whistleblower alleged that the ballot portal had been developed through a “rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed” process.
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portal → intensify → process
The official warned that under a proposed “zero-per-cent failure” policy, one barcode that fails to scan or match could result in an entire batch containing thousands of ballots being rejected until it is checked again.
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it → warn → ballots
USPS told AFP no mandatory verification procedures were being performed and that election officials would initially use its portal only voluntarily.
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officials → tell → portal
The fight – alongside disputes over partisan redistricting in around a dozen states – come with high political stakes.
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fight → come → stakes
Republicans hold narrow congressional majorities, but Democrats are favoured to capture the House as Trump’s approval ratings remain weak and voters voice frustration over living costs and the continuing war with Iran.
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voters → hold → Iran
A new Cornell University forecast gives Democrats an eight-in-10 chance of taking the chamber, projecting a roughly 226-209 majority.
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forecast → give → majority
