Story perspectives

Supreme Court Rejects Trump Bid to Limit Mail Voting

By Drooid · Sep 15, 2026, 11:01 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting for the 2026 midterms.
The decision preserves state mail-ballot systems that process nearly one-third of votes.
Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun mailing ballots.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, supporting the administration’s request.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred, saying the rule might be legal but was issued too late.

History

Historical Context

President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act on August 6 1965, outlawing literacy tests and mandating federal oversight that lifted African-American registration in Alabama by 12 percent between 1965 and 1970. In 2024 the Supreme Court, with Justices Alito, Thomas and Kavanaugh, rejected limits on mail-in ballots, preserving a voting-access tool rooted in that Act’s legacy.

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Story summary

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected President Donald Trump’s bid to restrict mail-in voting for the 2026 midterms.
The decision preserves state mail-ballot systems that process nearly one-third of votes.
Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun mailing ballots.
Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented, supporting the administration’s request.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh concurred, saying the rule might be legal but was issued too late.

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