US Supreme Court denies Trump bid to restrict mail-in ballots

The Supreme Court's decision means states are allowed to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years [FILE: Nov 7, 2022]Image: George Frey/Getty ImagesAdvertisementThe US Supreme Court has denied President Donald Trump's attempt to restrict mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections.

Trump had requested that the top court lift a lower court's order which blocked his bid to restrict the mail-in voting.

In a concurring opinion with the majority, conservative Justice Brett Kavanaugh said that while the Republican president's plan might ultimately prove legal, "state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections."

Conservative Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas publicly dissented from the brief order.

The Supreme Court's decision means states are allowed to continue sending out mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years.

The case has major implications because nearly one-third of the country votes by mail.

Trump's plan would obligate states to adopt a uniform envelope style and provide lists of mail ballot recipients to the Postal Service, which could then refuse to send out ballots that fail to comply with the new standards.

A whistleblower report has alleged that the postal system's requirements could result in millions of mail ballots never getting sent as the portal was not properly built and could therefore experience glitches.

Critics argue that the restrictions could disrupt the delivery of thousands of legitimate ballots ahead of the November 3 vote, for which states including Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin have already begun sending mail ballots to voters over the past week.

Democratic state officials and voting rights groups challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that the president has no constitutional authority to set election rules that would “virtually eliminate mail voting on the eve of a major election."

Lower courts have pulled the brakes on Trump's new system, which is why he had resorted to the Supreme Court.

In March, Trump signed an executive order to restrict mail-in voting, saying it is vulnerable to fraud, without providing evidence.

The US president, who himself often relies on mail-in voting to cast his own ballot, has long opposed the system. He even falsely blamed it for his 2020 election loss to Democrat Joe Biden.

Restricting mail-in ballots would benefit Republicans, various surveys have concluded, as Democratic voters disproportionately use the system to cast their ballots.

Polls predict that the Republican Party is in serious danger of losing its narrow hold of Congress in November, particularly the House of Representatives.

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