Supreme Court Clears the Way for Trump Mail Voting Order in Advance of Midterms

Trump signed the March executive order directing his administration to create voter eligibility lists and instructing the U.S. Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to those on approved lists. Democratic officials from 23 states and Washington, D.C., challenged the order, contending that states and Congress—not the president—have constitutional authority over elections. A Massachusetts judge blocked the plan for midterm elections, and an appeals court upheld that decision. She later extended the block nationwide. The Trump administration appealed on procedural grounds, claiming states sued prematurely. Twelve Republican-leaning states backed the federal government's position. The three liberal justices dissented from the unsigned Supreme Court order. Trump has long opposed mail voting despite using it himself and lacks credible evidence supporting fraud claims. Federal data shows mail ballots comprised about 30% of votes in 2024. A 2025 Brookings Institution study documented "only about four cases of fraud out of every 10 million mail ballots cast." Election officials warned that implementing major changes so close to elections could create chaos and enable partisan manipulation.