Here’s what happened.
President Donald Trump’s push for tighter safeguards surrounding mail-in voting received a major boost Friday after the U.S. Postal Service announced new standards governing ballot mail in federal elections.
The sweeping USPS rule establishes new procedures for election officials sending absentee and mail-in ballots through the postal system, including tracking requirements and a new federal ballot-mail database.
The development closely follows priorities outlined in Trump’s March executive order on election integrity, although ongoing federal court injunctions could prevent the Postal Service from putting the new requirements into effect for the November 2026 midterm elections.
For Americans concerned about election security, the announcement represents another significant development in the continuing national debate over mail-in voting.
USPS Announces New Mail-In Ballot Rules
The Postal Service detailed the changes in a 95-page rule scheduled to be formally published in the Federal Register on Aug. 26.
Under the new system, states participating in federal mail-ballot operations would use a Federal Ballot Mail Portal containing information about voters receiving mail-in or absentee ballots.
Election officials would provide information including the recipient’s name and address, along with unique Intelligent Mail barcodes connected to outgoing and returning ballot envelopes.
The Postal Service says the system is designed to improve tracking and create records that can help election officials reconcile ballot mail.
USPS would then provide each state’s chief election official with a state-specific Mail-In and Absentee Participation List around the date of the federal election.
Importantly, USPS says it would not decide who is legally eligible to vote.
State and local election authorities would continue determining voter eligibility under applicable election laws and deciding whether completed ballots qualify to be counted.
USPS also says postal employees would not open ballots, determine how someone voted or receive information about a voter’s political affiliation.
New System Would Track Federal Ballot Mail
The new policy establishes several steps for states and election officials using USPS to distribute federal election ballots.
A state’s chief election official may give USPS advance notice at least 90 days before a federal election that the state intends to use the Postal Service for absentee or mail-in voting. That advance notification is optional.
The more consequential provision involves the Federal Ballot Mail Portal.
Authorized election officials would submit information about individuals receiving ballots, including identifying information and unique barcodes associated with their ballot envelopes.
The rule says officials should provide that information at least 30 days before the federal election when practicable, or by the date ballots can begin being mailed under state law. Supplemental submissions could continue as additional voters become eligible to receive ballots.
Before accepting covered outgoing federal ballot mailings, USPS would generally verify that the mailing complies with the new standards.
Supporters see such procedures as a potentially important additional safeguard for a voting method used by tens of millions of Americans.
Policy Follows Trump’s Election Integrity Order
The changes come months after Trump signed an executive order seeking additional safeguards involving federal elections.
The president has repeatedly called for tougher election standards, particularly surrounding mail voting and proof of citizenship.
Trump and his supporters argue that additional verification and tracking requirements can strengthen confidence in election results.
Critics counter that new federal requirements could create administrative complications for state and local election officials and potentially interfere with existing state election procedures.
That disagreement has already produced a significant legal battle.
Federal courts have issued injunctions affecting implementation of Trump’s executive order. As a result, USPS acknowledged in its new rule that the agency will not implement the disputed requirements specifically for the 2026 election unless the federal government first obtains relief from those injunctions.
That distinction is important: the new USPS rule has been announced, but whether its major provisions will actually apply to ballots in this November’s election remains dependent on the courts.
Postmaster General Backed Ballot Safeguards
Postmaster General David Steiner previously defended efforts to strengthen the Postal Service’s handling of election mail during testimony before senators.
The central argument behind the administration’s approach is straightforward: election officials should have reliable systems for making sure ballots are being mailed to the intended recipients while providing a stronger chain of accountability as those ballots travel through the postal network.
The new USPS rule says the agency already has much of the infrastructure and staffing necessary to administer the requirements if they take effect.
The Postal Service also argues that standardized ballot-envelope designs and Intelligent Mail barcodes could improve visibility as ballots move through the mail.
Those technical changes may sound minor, but they could carry substantial importance considering how many Americans now vote by mail.
Nearly One-Third of Americans Voted By Mail in 2024
Mail-in voting has become a major part of American elections.
According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, approximately 30.3 percent of ballots cast during the 2024 general election were submitted by mail.
That means nearly one out of every three ballots nationwide was cast outside a traditional Election Day polling place.
Mail voting expanded dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic and has remained substantially more common than it was before 2020.
With such a large percentage of Americans relying on the postal system to participate in elections, seemingly technical changes involving ballot tracking, mailing procedures and voter information can have nationwide consequences.
Trump Continues Push for Election Security
Trump has been a longtime critic of widespread mail-in voting.
The president has repeatedly argued that mail voting presents greater opportunities for election problems and fraud. However, courts, election officials and independent reviews have not substantiated Trump’s broader claims of widespread mail-ballot fraud on the scale he has alleged.
Trump has nevertheless continued pushing for stronger safeguards, arguing that election rules should make it easier for Americans to trust the results.
Earlier this summer, Trump criticized a Supreme Court decision concerning ballots that are postmarked by Election Day but received afterward.
The dispute centers on a basic but politically important question: Should a ballot have to arrive by Election Day to count, or is an Election Day postmark sufficient when state law permits later arrival?
Different states currently maintain different rules, helping make mail voting an ongoing subject of legal and political battles.
SAVE America Act Remains Major Priority
Trump’s broader election agenda extends beyond USPS.
The president is also urging Congress to pass the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, known as the SAVE America Act.
The legislation would establish additional federal requirements involving documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration and identification requirements at the polls.
Republican supporters argue that proof-of-citizenship requirements are a commonsense election safeguard and could increase public confidence in the system.
Opponents contend that additional documentation requirements could make voter registration more difficult for some otherwise eligible American citizens.
Trump has made passage of election-integrity legislation one of his priorities as the midterms approach.
During an August interview, the president was even asked whether he might consider declaring a national emergency if the Senate failed to advance the legislation.
Trump did not completely rule out the possibility, instead leaving the question open.
Legal Battle Could Decide What Happens Next
The biggest unanswered question is whether the Postal Service will actually be permitted to implement its new requirements for the 2026 midterm elections.
USPS explicitly acknowledged the federal injunctions currently standing in the way.
If the administration obtains timely relief from the courts, the Postal Service says it intends to move ahead quickly so election officials have as much preparation time as possible.
If those injunctions remain in place, however, the disputed portions of the rule will not be implemented specifically for the November election.
That makes the ongoing court fight just as important as Friday’s USPS announcement.
For Trump, the rule nevertheless represents progress toward an election policy he has championed for years: stronger tracking, additional documentation and tighter procedures surrounding ballots moving through the U.S. mail.
With control of Congress at stake on Nov. 3 and millions of Americans expected to vote by mail, the fight over exactly how those ballots are handled is likely to remain one of the most closely watched election issues heading into the midterms.