Trump takes mail-in ballot fight to US Supreme Court

President Donald Trump's administration requested the US Supreme Court on Thursday to permit it to enforce a stricter mail-in ballot rule provided by the US Postal Service. This move came after a judge temporarily blocked the regulation before the midterm elections. The new rule, adopted following an executive order by Trump, would introduce new voter-specific data and ballot envelope requirements, potentially rejecting non-compliant ballots.

Critics argue this could disrupt legitimate votes as the November election nears. The administration, which has previously contested mail-in ballots' security, filed a brief urging the Supreme Court to allow the implementation of measures to safeguard the mails from potential voter fraud. A coalition of Democratic states, the District of Columbia, and voting rights groups challenged the new USPS rule.

On August 27, Judge Indira Talwani issued a temporary order blocking the rule for 14 days due to potential constitutional violations and the impracticality for states to comply. The administration bypassed this court decision to directly appeal to the Supreme Court. The case is the second time the administration has sought Supreme Court intervention to defend Trump's directive against legal challenges.