Supreme Court Weighs Trump Mail Ballot Rules as GOP Counties Warn 2026 Compliance Is Impossible
Updated
Updated · CNN · Sep 12
Supreme Court Weighs Trump Mail Ballot Rules as GOP Counties Warn 2026 Compliance Is Impossible
3 articles · Updated · CNN · Sep 12
Summary
At least half the states backing Trump’s USPS-linked mail voting rules have local election officials saying they cannot meet the requirements in time for the 2026 midterms, according to court filings and interviews.
The plan would let USPS deliver ballots only for states meeting conditions such as unique voter-specific barcodes on envelopes, forcing thousands of envelope replacements and rapid voter-list submissions.
Missouri clerks said the state’s only in-state barcode-envelope vendor is not taking new midterm clients, while one county warned it might hand-deliver ballots to about 100 permanent-disability voters if the rules take effect.
Rural Republican counties in Missouri, Florida, Nebraska and elsewhere said they face steeper hurdles than larger urban counties, many of which already use more sophisticated mail-ballot systems.
That mismatch undercuts Republican attorneys general backing the rules in court, even as 23 Democratic-led states and Washington, D.C., argue the changes would cause chaos and disenfranchisement if imposed this year.