Mail ballots are beginning to enter the 2026 midterm election process as states prepare to send them to voters ahead of the November 3 election. North Carolina was expected to begin sending ballots on Friday, with other states reaching their own mailing deadlines in the coming weeks.
Election offices are preparing ballot materials while the U.S. Postal Service works on a system tied to new federal requirements for mail ballots. The legal fight over those requirements is still underway as states move closer to sending ballots to voters.
The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow USPS to enforce the new rules after a federal judge blocked them nationwide, according to Reuters. The request comes as states prepare to send mail ballots to voters ahead of the November election.
Trump wants the Supreme Court to lift the block
The Justice Department is asking the Supreme Court to overturn U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani’s latest order blocking USPS from enforcing the requirements. The request comes before the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled on the administration’s challenge.
The rules follow an executive order Trump signed in March. They require states to provide USPS with lists of voters approved to receive mail ballots and require unique barcodes on ballot envelopes. USPS would also be prevented from transmitting ballots for voters who are not included on the required state lists.
States and voting rights groups challenging the rules argue that USPS does not have the authority to impose those requirements. The Trump administration has defended the rules, saying USPS has authority over the requirements while states would continue deciding which voters are eligible for mail ballots.
The Supreme Court has already considered the dispute. In August, the justices set aside Talwani’s earlier order because the states had challenged the executive order before USPS finalized the rule. The court did not decide whether the policy itself was lawful, leaving that earlier ruling relevant to the latest challenge involving Trump’s mail voting order.
USPS finalized the rule on August 21. States and voting rights groups then renewed their legal challenges, and Talwani issued another order blocking the requirements from taking effect.
The dispute is moving forward as states prepare to send ballots. North Carolina officials said they would continue monitoring the case while preparing for the election. Sam Hayes, executive director of the North Carolina State Board of Elections, said, “We’re watching to see what the courts do. If anything changes, we’ll be in compliance.”
The online portal states would use to provide USPS with their mail-ballot voter lists was still being developed when Reuters reported on the dispute, as questions surrounding the rollout of the new USPS ballot system continued. USPS said it could make the portal available voluntarily to states the following week.
A whistleblower complaint alleges that problems with the portal could result in eligible voters’ ballots being rejected. Those allegations have not been established as fact. For now, the USPS requirements remain blocked, leaving the Supreme Court to decide whether the administration can put the rules into effect as states move closer to the November election.
Published: Sep 6, 2026 09:15 am