Last night’s headlines made it clear: the Supreme Court just handed Trump and the USPS control of your mail ballot.
Except… that’s actually not what happened. The AP headline that the “Supreme Court sides with Trump administration on mail voting restrictions ahead of midterms” is, to be blunt, fake news.
Let’s be clear, the ruling wasn’t a good one. But it didn’t decide one way or the other whether Trump’s anti-voter executive order is legal, and it didn’t change anything about anyone’s right or ability to vote by mail. This was a preliminary, procedural ruling. We need to keep an eye on it, but this is not your take-to-the-streets moment.
Yet.
This Doesn’t Change Anyone’s Rights or Ability to Vote by Mail
Trump’s March 2026 anti-voter executive order directs the Postal Service to only deliver ballots to people on pre-approved government checklists of eligible voters. The USPS set out to write a rule implementing the executive order. Twenty-three states and D.C. sued to stop USPS from moving forward, and in June Judge Indira Talwani in Boston agreed. Monday night, six justices lifted the block and told the Postal Service it can finalize its rule.
Some important context:
The court has NOT said the President gets to decide who gets a ballot or who gets to vote by mail. It merely said that the states can’t even bring their lawsuit until the USPS actually issues a rule implementing the executive order. The justices even wrote that Monday’s decision “does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful. On that score, time will tell.”
Monday’s ruling was limited to the case where the 23 states sued the government. In a separate lawsuit brought by the League of Women Voters, the same judge blocked the executive order throughout the country. That second order still stands. Nothing about your rights or ability to vote by mail changed Monday night.
State and County Officials Run Our Elections, not Trump, the USPS, or the Federal Government
The Constitution gives states the power to run elections, and Congress the power to set rules for federal elections. It gives the president no power at all over elections. Your county clerk and your secretary of state will run this election, just like every election this country has ever had before. Your ballot in still their hands, not his.
Yes, we need to keep an eye on this. Trump’s executive order about the Post Office isn’t business as usual, and we shouldn’t act like it is. It’s one of many maneuvers, from false fraud claims to threats to prosecute the local officials who run our election, designed to undermine our confidence in our own election system so we stay home on Election Day and Trump gets to keep his power.
But we can skip the panic for now. If you’ll vote by mail this fall, send your ballot as early as possible, just in case. Between now and then, find someone you know who saw the panic-inducing headlines about the Supreme Court’s decision, and tell them their ballot is fine, and their trusted county official still runs their election.
The Trump regime will continue to do everything it can to push its farfetched plans forward, and we’ll continue to fight to protect our freedom to decide our future, choose our leaders, and ensure the will of the people prevails.
Here’s to a just & joyful future.