Trump’s mail-in voting push takes big turn as USPS makes move that puts states on notice
WASHISNGTON, DC: The US Postal Services (USPS) on Friday, August 21, published a 95-page rule book, tightening requirements for mail-in voting ahead of the November congressional elections.
The decision comes days after federal court earlier this month issued a preliminary injunction blocking the US Postal Service (USPS) from implementing President Trump’s 2026 executive order restricting mail voting.
USPS tighten rule for mail-in voting amid controversy
The newly released USPS rule book is a move to aligns with President Donald Trump's March 31 executive order, tightening the rules to use mail-in ballot.
The agency said it has released rule so it could take immediate effect if a court lifted its injunctions on it and be in place for the upcoming election.
Under the rule, USPS would not deliver ballots in states that do not comply with the rule's new standards.
"Any state that intends to receive mail-in or absentee ballots from individual voters through the Postal Service must ensure that such individuals have been enrolled with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state's Mail-In and Absentee Participation List," the new rule reads.
The executive order by Trump administration, among other things, ordered the agency to mandate that all states that plan to use USPS to send mail-in ballots notify the agency at least 90 days before an election and to send USPS a list of eligible voters the state plans on providing a mail-in ballot to at least 60 days before the election.
USPS’s new order can’t come into effect immediately
USPS has finished writing the new rule, but it cannot actually start using it right now because a federal judge has temporarily blocked Trump’s March executive order.
The new rule want states to submit individual's name and address to the USPS and include a "uniquely serialized Intelligent Mail barcode (IMb)" on both the outbound federal ballot and the return ballot sent to the individual to include name on list.
The rule, which USPS will officially publish on Aug. 26, would only take effect for the upcoming midterm elections if a federal court lifted its injunction on Trump's executive order.
In a filed opposition to court’s injunction, the Trump administration argued that the judicial review was premature under the ripeness doctrine, claiming that the plaintiffs cannot demonstrate any harm from the proposed law until it takes effect.
