Trump Executive Order on Mail Balloting Blocked by Federal Judges

On September 13, 2026, U.S. District Judge Carl J. Nichols in Washington, D.C. issued a preliminary injunction prohibiting the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing the rule issued on August 21 that would implement President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail balloting. The injunction follows an earlier order by U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani in Boston that also barred the Postal Service from applying the new regulation before the 2026 midterm elections.

The Hindu

President Trump’s executive order, issued earlier this year, directs the Postal Service to require pre-approval of all ballot-envelope designs and to compel states to upload the identities of ballot recipients to an as-yet-inactive online portal. Election officials have said that implementing these changes so close to a general election would be impossible. Mail ballots are already being dispatched in Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin, with additional states preparing distributions.

Associated Press

The union representing U.S. Postal Service workers has pushed back, arguing that verifying voter eligibility is not a postal-worker responsibility. A whistleblower report to Congress alleged that millions of voters could be disenfranchised if the rule were allowed to take effect for the midterms. The Supreme Court of the United States is currently poised to consider the administration’s appeal of the district courts’ freezes.

Associated Press

• “Plaintiffs have demonstrated that, absent an injunction, there is an increased risk that a significant number of otherwise appropriate absentee or mail-in ballots will ultimately not be counted in the upcoming elections,” — Carl J. Nichols, district judge

Associated Press

The Supreme Court’s pending review will determine whether the administration’s appeal succeeds, potentially shaping the administration’s ability to alter mail-ballot procedures ahead of the upcoming elections.

Associated Press