A coalition of 24 states and Washington, D.C., filed a lawsuit on Wednesday to block a Trump-backed U.S. Postal Service rule requiring states to submit mail voter lists and use federally approved ballot envelopes ahead of the November midterm elections. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Massachusetts, challenges requirements finalized by USPS last week that states argue will disrupt their mail voting programs just 10 weeks before voting begins.
The states contend that the rule violates the Constitution by allowing the federal government to seize control of mail-in voting from the states. “The Rule violates the Constitution and federal statutes many times over,” state attorneys general said in the complaint, adding that it “displaces state laws adopted pursuant to each State’s constitutional authority to administer elections.”
The Postal Service rule implements an executive order President Trump signed in March directing USPS to tighten mail voting procedures. Under the finalized rule, election officials must submit each mail voter’s name and address to a new USPS portal and provide unique barcodes for ballot envelopes. USPS will review envelope designs before accepting outgoing ballot mailings, and postal workers will scan envelopes to confirm barcodes match the federal portal before delivery.
States warned that these last-minute requirements could prevent eligible voters from receiving ballots because of administrative errors, technical failures, or delays. Election officials have already designed and purchased envelopes for the midterms and are preparing ballot distribution. “Plaintiff States’ election officials must also develop new systems at breakneck speed to convey mail voter lists to USPS to ensure that every eligible voter who is entitled to a mail ballot receives one, create new guidance for and train election officials, and educate the public about changes to mail voting,” the states said in their suit.
The lawsuit follows a Supreme Court decision two days earlier that lifted an earlier block on Trump’s order. The justices ruled on procedural grounds that the states had sued too soon, before USPS finalized its rule. “Courts review final rules, not proposed rules,” the majority wrote, leaving open the possibility that the rule itself could still be challenged once finalized. “The Court’s disposition of this application does not mean that any measure taken by the Government to implement the Order will necessarily be lawful,” the Court said. “On that score, time will tell.”
The states argue that the rule exceeds USPS’s statutory authority, violates the Voting Rights Act, and infringes on their constitutional power to administer elections. They also contend that requiring them to identify mail voters to USPS violates federal privacy protections governing records of individuals’ First Amendment activity. USPS maintains the rule would improve ballot tracking, assist law enforcement, and reduce fraud while leaving voter eligibility decisions to state election officials.
Despite the states’ new legal challenge, a separate nationwide injunction issued in an earlier case brought by the League of Women Voters and other voting-rights groups currently prevents USPS from implementing the rule for the November election. That injunction remains in place and was not affected by the Supreme Court’s recent decision. The legal landscape remains unsettled, with multiple courts now examining different aspects of Trump’s mail voting order. Democratic campaign committees have also filed new lawsuits challenging the Postal Service rule, intensifying the legal battle as the midterms approach.
California Governor Gavin Newsom, whose state is among the plaintiffs, stated on social media that Trump “does not run elections. States do,” pledging California would continue challenging the administration’s actions. New York Attorney General Letitia James said, “Across the country, states are already deep into preparations for the 2026 elections. Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote.”
Sources
- CBS News — reporting on 24 states and D.C. filing lawsuit against USPS rule, requirements for ballot envelopes and voter lists, states’ arguments about implementation burden
- CNBC — details on the finalized USPS rule, barcode and envelope design requirements, the separate nationwide injunction preventing implementation for November midterms
- PBS NewsHour — confirmation of lawsuit filing and state arguments about disenfranchisement
- AP News — Supreme Court’s procedural decision and timeline of legal challenges
- Democracy Docket — USPS rule finalization date and requirements for state-specific mail-in participation lists
