Trump Administration’s USPS Rule Would Undermine States’ Authority Over Mail-In Voting

WASHINGTON – In response to the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) finalizing a Presidential Trump-mandated rule that would impose new federal requirements on how states administer mail voting, Issue One Senior Policy Director Michael McNulty issued the following statement:

“Yesterday’s new mail-in voting rule is an attempt to weaponize USPS as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to take over elections. If it holds up in court, it would mean postal workers shift from neutral transporters of a state-led process to a federal gatekeeper of states’ outbound mail ballots — requiring states to provide USPS with voter-level ballot information and giving USPS authority to reject ballots that do not meet the new federal requirements.

“The rule follows President Trump’s March 2026 executive order and is another prime example of the Trump administration’s election takeover playbook. The President continues to rely on tired, debunked conspiracy theories to justify gaining control over secure, verified, and effective methods of voting, including mail-in voting, to tilt the playing field.

“But voters should not panic. This rule is currently blocked from being implemented for the November 2026 elections. A federal court has already prohibited USPS from implementing the executive order for the November 3 election, and the appeals court has declined to lift that protection. In its final rule, the USPS itself acknowledges that it cannot implement these requirements for the 2026 election unless and until the courts allow it to do so. Other courts are continuing to review these unprecedented efforts to give the executive branch a role in regulating elections.

Here’s the biggest takeaway of yesterday’s development: For the 2026 election, voters can continue to rely on the voting rules established by their state unless and until a court orders otherwise. Yet, because the Trump administration continues its attempts to undermine trust in an effort to centralize control of elections, we all must remain vigilant and continue to build trust in our election system.“For now, here are the facts: the Constitution leaves federal elections up to the states and Congress, not the executive branch; mail-in voting is a safe, verified, and effective way to ensure your voice is heard; and safeguarding our elections requires all of us getting involved.”

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Issue One is the leading crosspartisan political reform group in Washington, D.C. We unite Republicans, Democrats, and independents in the movement to fix our broken political system and build an inclusive democracy that works for everyone.