A Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration to move ahead with plans to restrict mail ballots could have enormous consequences for the country, which has become increasingly dependent on voting by mail.
Nearly one in three voters across the country used the method in the most recent midterm and general elections. Voting by mail peaked during the Covid pandemic, with more than 40 percent of voters using mail ballots in 2020.
The use of mail voting varies widely by state, depending on local rules. Several of the states with the highest rates oppose President Trump’s plans to restrict mail ballots. They are part of a coalition of nearly two dozen states, mostly run by Democrats, that sued to block his efforts.
In March, Mr. Trump put forward an executive order to overhaul voting and instructed the Department of Homeland Security to develop state-by-state lists of citizens that would be used to determine voting eligibility. He also directed the Postal Service to help decide which voters should receive mail-in ballots.
The Postal Service on Friday published regulations related to the executive order. These would require states to share voter data with the federal government and set new requirements for mail ballot envelopes.
It is not yet clear whether Mr. Trump’s plans will apply to the midterm elections in November, as a lower court is still determining their legality. States would have little time to prepare for some of the procedural changes the president is proposing, and many are set to begin sending out mail ballots in just a few weeks.
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