100 Election officials and local jurisdictions urge U.S. Supreme Court to block Trump’s disastrous mail-in ballot rule

For immediate release: September 9, 2026

Media contact: Jackie Jena, jackie@publicrightsproject.org

WASHINGTON — Public Rights Project, Washington Litigation Group and the Center for Election Innovation & Research filed an amicus brief today on behalf of 19 local governments and 81 election officials. The groups are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stop a new U.S. Postal Service mail-in ballot rule from taking effect before the November elections.

Today’s filing responds to an appeal by the Trump administration and comes after a federal district court in Massachusetts blocked the rule from going into effect. The brief strongly opposes the rule, which — if allowed to go into effect — would allow USPS to deny mail ballots unless officials and jurisdictions comply with burdensome new requirements announced just days ago.

“Local election officials have spent months diligently preparing to make sure this election runs smoothly,” said Jennifer Holmes, Election Protection Hub director at Public Rights Project. “Changing the rules of the road at the 11th hour would confuse voters and disrupt the local officials working to administer free and fair elections. The Court should understand that what hangs in the balance is every eligible voter’s right to cast their ballot and have it counted.”

The coalition — which includes current and former state and local election officials and jurisdictions responsible for administering elections, including federal elections — argues that the rule cannot responsibly be implemented before the upcoming elections. Even if it could, countless citizens would be prevented from exercising their right to vote by mail.

“The administration and the Postal Service persist in attempting to illegally seize power over mail voting from the states. As they have rushed to put a slapdash system in place, it has become clear that it is simply too late for states to radically alter their mail voting procedures,” said David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation & Research. “The rules the Postal Service has finalized are impossible for the states to comply with, as made clear by a whistleblower, dozens of elections officials and even the Postal Workers Union. Election officials of both parties, all over the country, are committed to providing a secure and convenient voting process for their voters, and they feel compelled to inform the courts of the chaos these new rules would create.”

This case is part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to expand federal control over elections. Earlier this year, Public Rights Project, CEIR and election officials from across the country challenged the administration’s election executive order, including provisions targeting mail voting and threatening election officials with federal prosecution. The new USPS rule seeks to put key parts of that executive order into practice.

“Election officials should be spending these final weeks preparing for the election, not scrambling to find a way to comply with brand new requirements imposed by this administration without statutory or constitutional authority,” said WLG Principal Samantha Bateman. “Imposing these requirements at the 11th hour risks disrupting election administration and preventing eligible voters from casting their ballots. The Court should not allow that to happen.”

Read the amicus brief and the full list of amici here.

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