Trump Asks Supreme Court to Reinstate Executive Order on Mail Voting Before Midterm Elections

President Donald Trump is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to allow his administration to enforce an executive order that would make significant changes to mail voting procedures ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

The emergency appeal follows lower court rulings that blocked the order in 23 Democratic-led states. Those states argued the Constitution gives primary authority over elections to state governments, not the federal executive branch.

Signed in March, Trump's executive order would require states to provide lists of eligible mail ballot voters to the U.S. Postal Service before ballots are mailed. The order also calls for individualized ballot tracking barcodes on mail ballot envelopes and expands the role of the Department of Homeland Security in identifying potential non-citizen voters using federal databases.

The administration argues the executive order serves as policy guidance and that many of its provisions have not yet been fully implemented. Justice Department attorneys told the Supreme Court that the order does not directly require states to take immediate action.

State officials challenging the order say they have already devoted time and resources to preparing for the proposed changes, diverting attention from other election preparations. They also argue implementing different rules in different states would be difficult for federal agencies such as the Postal Service.

A federal appeals court recently upheld the injunction blocking most of the order, though one judge appointed by Trump said portions involving Homeland Security voter data could move forward.

The Supreme Court has asked challengers to respond to the administration's request by Aug. 3. The case is expected to be one of the court's most closely watched election-related disputes before this year's midterm elections.

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