The Supreme Court on 2026-09-14 blocked sweeping federal restrictions on mail ballots for the November 2026 midterm elections, with reporting through 2026-09-18 showing Republican senators rebuffing Trump's attacks on the court despite his opposition to the decision. Other litigation over election administration remains active.
On July 25, 2026, the U.S. 1st Circuit Court of Appeals rejected Trump's request to lift an injunction against his March executive order tightening mail-in voting in 23 Democratic-led states. The ruling affirmed lower-court restrictions on the policy.
Nearly 150,000 mail-in ballots were rejected during California's June primary election, representing a sharp increase from previous primaries. Reports cite USPS reliability concerns and ballot processing issues as contributing factors.
“Plaintiff states have neither time nor funds to design new mail ballots, seek approval of the new designs, order production of mail ballots, update their own election management systems, train election officials to use the USPS portal and upload citizen data to the portal, all before the midterms,” Talwani wrote Thursday.
Officials cheered the order blocking President Trump’s last-minute effort to change the rules on mail ballots, noting that some states had already mailed ballots.
The Supreme Court on 2026-09-14 rejected Trump's effort to limit mail-in voting for the November midterms, with Justice Brett Kavanaugh stating the Postal Service rule 'would be arbitrary and capricious.' By 2026-09-16, White House Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed compliance with the decision.
In the 2024 election, approximately 48 million mail-in ballots were cast. Of these, about 19 were determined to be fraudulent, or about 4 ballots per 10 million mail-in ballots cast.
The Trump administration renewed its appeal to the Supreme Court by September 8, 2026, seeking to allow new restrictions on mail voting ahead of the midterms after a federal judge blocked them. The administration also asked the Court to permit use of a citizenship database to screen state voter rolls.
A former US Postal Service employee was indicted on September 22, 2026, for unlawfully destroying approximately 300 mail-in ballots in Utah County. The federal indictment charged the former postman with unlawful secretion, destruction, and delay of mail.
On August 24, 2026, the US Supreme Court lifted a lower-court injunction and handed a preliminary victory to President Trump's executive order restricting mail-in ballots ahead of the midterm elections. By August 28, a federal judge had blocked the order again, placing a 14-day hold on implementation and signaling swift legal appeals to follow.
On September 15, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court cleared a major hurdle for midterm elections by lifting restrictions on mail ballot distribution, allowing election offices nationwide to send out ballots as planned without conflicts with new Postal Service rules imposed at the last minute.
The Department of Justice charged Damon Matai Seei, a US Postal Service letter carrier in Utah, with destruction or delay of mail after he allegedly discarded over 300 mail ballots intended for voters in the state's June 2026 primary election. Seei pleaded not guilty to the felony charge by 23 September 2026.
Statewide mail voting for the 2026 midterm elections commenced on September 4, 2026 amid ongoing legal battles over President Trump's attempts to restrict mail voting practices. The litigation created uncertainty as ballots were distributed to voters.
As of September 3-4, 2026, the Trump administration asked the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold new Postal Service restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of midterm elections. Federal judges blocked enforcement of the limits pending the Supreme Court's decision, with North Carolina already beginning to send ballots.
# SixYearsAgoToday # AreWeGreatYet August 19, 2020 – Trump’s re-election campaign sued New Jersey for its plan to mail voters ballots because of the pandemic. Trump wrongly claimed that mail-in voting results in widespread fraud.
The U.S. Postal Service issued a new regulation on August 24, 2026 limiting mail ballots in the November midterm election, which will only take effect if the Supreme Court permits it. By August 26, a coalition of 24 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the rule, arguing it violates the Constitution and federal law.
On September 4–5, 2026, North Carolina officials confirmed that mail-in ballot distribution began on Friday, September 5. Election officials reported that the state was moving ahead with plans to distribute absentee ballots for the upcoming general election.
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On September 10, 2026, a U.S. federal appeals court denied the Trump administration's request to implement new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail-in voting, handing the Justice Department a loss. The Supreme Court is separately considering the administration's executive order on the same issue.