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· collected 2026-09-06 · by Evan Semones
The Trump administration has appealed again to the US Supreme Court to allow restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterms in November. The court will consider whether the Postal Service can track and potentially reject mail-in ballots, despite a federal judge's ruling that such moves are likely unconstitutional. According to the Trump administration, their executive order imposes "modest" requirements for envelope design and address information on mail-in ballots. This is the third time the Trump administration has appealed to the Supreme Court on this issue.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Here's a summary of the news story:
USPS Whistleblower Warns of Potential Chaos in Mail Voting
A whistleblower at the US Postal Service (USPS) has come forward to warn that a new system for handling mail ballots, tied to President Trump's executive order on mail voting, is "untested and error-prone" and could lead to millions of Americans not receiving their mail-in ballot this fall. The whistleblower also alleges that the USPS is defying court orders by pushing forward with the new system despite concerns about its reliability.
The controversy centers around a March executive order by President Trump, which requires states to give the USPS a list of all voters eligible to receive a ballot in the mail and for the USPS to refuse to deliver mail-in ballots if the state does not comply. This has led to concerns from election officials that the new system could cause chaos for voters in the middle of the midterm elections.
A federal judge has already blocked the new rules, but the Trump administration is asking the Supreme Court to lift the block and allow the changes to take effect. Meanwhile, North Carolina has become the first state to start sending out mail-in ballots, despite the uncertainty surrounding the new federal rules.
Background
- President Trump issued an executive order in March calling for the Department of Homeland Security to develop lists of adult U.S. citizens in each state and for the USPS to refuse to deliver mail-in ballots when state election officials don't turn over these lists.
- The USPS has been implementing changes to its system for handling mail ballots, but a whistleblower warns that the new system is "untested and error-prone."
- Election officials have expressed concerns about the reliability of the new system and the potential for it to cause chaos for voters.
Impact
- Millions of Americans may not receive their mail-in ballot this fall due to the uncertainty surrounding the new federal rules.
- The controversy has led to concerns from election officials that the new system could cause chaos for voters in the middle of the midterm elections.
- The Supreme Court's decision on whether to allow the changes to take effect will have significant implications for the integrity of the electoral process.
Written for “Trump Mail Voting Controversy” on 2026-09-07,
grounded in this article and the 31 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning score +0.35 for article 6085 (high confidence, 2 verified quotes) · logged 2026-09-07
The administration of United States President Donald Trump has made another appeal to the Supreme Court to allow new restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of the midterms in November.
asserted
administration → make → November
Two days after a federal judge blocked the US Postal Service (USPS) from enforcing Trump’s executive order, the administration on Sunday escalated the matter to the country’s highest court, asking justices to temporarily allow the agency to track mail-in ballots and decide whether they could be rejected.
uncertain
they → block → ballots
The ongoing legal battle comes even as some states have already begun sending out postal ballots.
asserted
states → come → ballots
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asserted
judge → repeat → mail
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asserted
general → say → US
US District Judge Indira Talwani issued an order on Friday that said Trump’s directives, which would grant the federal government power over the handling of mail-in ballots, are likely unconstitutional.
asserted
which → issue → ballots
In the US, elections – including ones for federal office – are carried out by states.
asserted
elections → include → states
The judge also criticised the timing of the executive order’s implementation, writing that, with just two months until election day, it “threatens disenfranchisement of millions of United States citizens who seek to vote by mail”.
asserted
who → criticise → mail
But in its emergency filing on Sunday, the Trump administration countered Talwani’s ruling:
asserted
administration → counter → ruling
“Contrary to the claims of the district court and respondents that the Postal Service is trying to federalise the rules for mail-in voting, the Postal Service’s final rule imposes only modest envelope-design and addressee-information requirements for federal-election ballots sent via U.S. Mail”.
uncertain
rule → try → Mail
US Solicitor General John Sauer, who argues cases before the Supreme Court on behalf of the federal government, said Trump’s order would not seize control of states’ right to administer elections, but would only impose “reasonable preparation requirements” for mail-in ballots.
asserted
order → argue → ballots
“[The rule] requires States to upload the name, address and barcode information of intended recipients of ballot mail in an online portal — information that election officials would necessarily already possess to send ballot mail under the Rule to those recipients,” Sauer wrote in the filing.
asserted
Sauer → require → filing
“The Rule ensures that States remain responsible for determining voter eligibility and eligibility to vote by mail, and it does not dictate ballot content, mailing or receipt deadlines, or ballot-counting procedures.”
asserted
it → ensure → content
Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson set a deadline of Wednesday for responses to the Trump administration’s request.
asserted
Jackson → set → request
Sunday’s filing marks the third time the Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to intervene.
asserted
administration → mark → Court
The court recently allowed the plan to move forward but did not rule on whether it was legal.
asserted
it → allow → ?
With control of the US Congress up for grabs in November, how the Supreme Court rules on the appeal could have major implications.
uncertain
rules → rule → implications
Despite voting by mail himself, Trump has long sought to limit it during his time in office, falsely claiming that it is ripe with fraud.
asserted
it → vote → fraud
Opponents say the president’s motivation is simpler, arguing that Democrats vote by mail more than Republicans.
asserted
Democrats → say → Republicans
An analysis conducted by the States United Democracy Center found that many voters, no matter their political affiliation, cast their ballots by mail.
asserted
voters → conduct → mail
The research found that one in four registered Democrats and one in five registered Republicans voted by mail in the 2024 presidential election.
asserted
Democrats → find → election
