USPS Halts Mail-Voting Portal After Supreme Court Blocks Trump's 2026 Order

3 articles · Updated · PBS NewsHour · Sep 18

USPS has stopped all work on the computer portal that would have screened mail-ballot eligibility, with Postmaster General David Steiner saying an injunction means the agency is "not doing anything."
Trump's March order had told agencies to build state citizenship lists and route them through the Postal Service, which then could send ballots only to voters cleared by that system.
A Wednesday USPS memo said the agency will not enforce any of the new rules in the 2026 federal election and that election mail will proceed under existing protocols.
Steiner said the platform had been on track for a Sept. 15 rollout despite a whistleblower report alleging errors and rushed development, but he declined to defend the policy itself.
Mail-voting concerns remain beyond the court fight: USPS still wants wider barcode use through pricing incentives, while Steiner urged voters to mail ballots at least 7 days early amid postmark-delay worries.