North Carolina Sends First Mail-In Ballots as Trump Administration Presses New Voting Restrictions

North Carolina began mailing absentee ballots to voters early on Friday, becoming the first state to start its statewide mail-in voting program for the 2026 midterm elections. Election officials said the first batch will reach more than 46,000 voters who have requested ballots, with additional mailings to follow as requests increase.

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The rollout occurs while the Trump administration is pursuing an executive order that would require states to submit voter-list data to a federal portal, adopt a new ballot-envelope design with barcodes, and allow the United States Postal Service (USPS) to withhold delivery of non-compliant ballots. The order has been blocked by a lower-court judge, but the Department of Justice (DOJ) has asked the Supreme Court for emergency relief, setting a deadline for states and voting-rights groups to respond. The administration argues the changes are needed to prevent “non-citizen” voting, a claim it has offered without evidence.

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• 46,000 voters slated to receive the first round of mail-in ballots in North Carolina.

New York Times

• 5,000 ballots are part of Wake County’s initial mailing wave.

New York Times

• At least 10 additional states, including Arkansas, Delaware, Kentucky, Minnesota, New York and Wisconsin, are scheduled to begin mailing within the next two weeks.

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• The DOJ’s emergency request to the Supreme Court seeks to enforce the new envelope and data-submission rules, arguing they are necessary for election integrity.

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• North Carolina’s State Board of Elections, led by a Republican majority, has submitted envelope designs to the USPS for review and received approval, while opting not to submit voter-list data pending litigation.

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• David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the window for implementing major election changes “has long since passed,” and warned that the mail-in executive order is not a beneficial reform.

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• Don Millis, a Republican who chairs the Wisconsin Election Commission, expressed concern that a Supreme Court endorsement of the order could “tilt the election into chaos.”

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• “We believe that we are well positioned,” — Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections

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• “The biggest part of this is that it has sparked questions about what it is. ‘What does this mean? What are you guys doing? Can I not vote by mail anymore?’” — Michael Dickerson, director of the Mecklenburg County Board of Elections

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• “It is business as usual, as far as I’m concerned,” — Sam Hayes, executive director of the State Board of Elections

Associated Press

State officials attribute a recent rise in rejected mail ballots to changes in USPS post-marking practices, while the USPS maintains it has not altered its post-marking policy but acknowledges “adjustments to transportation operations” that may affect postmark dates. No definitive data have been provided to confirm the extent of ballot rejections attributable to these operational changes.

Associated Press

The Supreme Court has set an early-September deadline for parties to file responses to the DOJ’s request. States, including North Carolina, must continue mailing ballots while the legal battle proceeds, and election officials are urging voters to return completed ballots promptly to avoid any potential delays.

Bloomberg