Trump asks Supreme Court to OK sweeping changes for mail ballots

Key Points:

• The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to grant the US Postal Service broad authority to withhold delivery of mail ballots, escalating a legal battle over an executive order affecting election mail just weeks before the November midterms.
• The executive order requires states to submit voter lists to USPS and mandates unique barcodes on election mail envelopes, with the Postal Service potentially rejecting ballots if discrepancies arise, raising concerns about voter disenfranchisement and election disruptions.
• Voting rights groups and 23 Democratic-led states argue the order unlawfully interferes with state-run elections, while the administration contends the changes are modest and within USPS’s authority to ensure election mail security.
• The Supreme Court, currently with a 6-3 conservative majority, faces pressure to decide the case quickly as mail ballots begin to be sent, with procedural hurdles and ongoing debates about the legality and timing of the USPS rules.
• Critics warn the USPS plan could cause systemic failures in ballot delivery, while a whistleblower report alleges the agency may reject entire batches of ballots over minor errors, potentially affecting millions of voters in key states.