New federal mail-ballot rule could reshape 2026 elections, groups warn

The administration’s proposed rule would require USPS to vet outgoing mail-ballot envelopes for federal compliance and use a new Federal Ballot Mail Portal to submit voter data, pressuring states to adopt a top-down federal system ahead of the 2026 midterms. Following a Supreme Court ruling on standing in a related citizenship-list case, lawsuits to block the rules continue, with officials warning compliance could be impractical in some jurisdictions and voting-rights groups warning of reduced ballot access for seniors, the disabled, rural residents, students, and workers. The situation remains unresolved as further injunctions and rulings loom.