Supreme Court Petitioned for New Mail-In Voting Restrictions

The Trump administration has once again approached the Supreme Court, seeking approval for new mail-in voting restrictions the day before mail ballots are distributed for November’s midterm elections.

Legal challenges continue in lower courts against President Donald Trump’s executive order, prompting this emergency request. While the Supreme Court has previously allowed the administration’s plan to proceed pending litigation, the legality of the policy remains undecided.

According to Trump’s executive order, the U.S. Postal Service could reject ballot deliveries from states that fail to provide lists of eligible voters or comply with standardized ballot envelope requirements.

The recent filing in the Supreme Court follows a federal court hearing in Boston. During the hearing, Justice Department attorney Michael Velchik could not confirm whether the necessary system to enforce the new requirements was functional.

U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani interrogated Velchik about the Postal Service’s readiness to execute Trump’s plan, issued last spring. A significant element of the plan is an online portal intended to track millions of mail ballots. States must upload their mail-in voter lists to the portal to ensure ballot deliveries. Discrepancies between portal information and ballot envelopes would result in ballots not being delivered.

Judge Talwani expressed concerns, suggesting that the government might be conducting an experiment to determine the system’s effectiveness during the elections. She noted the absence of a clear declaration from the Postal Service outlining operational details, stating, “I don’t even have a declaration from the Postal Service: ‘This is how it will work.’ I don’t have it. I have nothing.”

This story is still unfolding and updates will be provided as more information surfaces.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.