US Court Revives Trump Administration USPS Mail‑In Ballot Security Rule

A three‑judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit temporarily reinstated a Trump administration rule that imposes new security and transparency requirements on mail‑in voting. The order allows the U.S. Postal Service to move forward with a policy that obliges states to submit voter‑registration lists to the Justice Department and to affix Intelligent Mail barcodes to every absentee ballot, enabling real‑time tracking of each ballot’s progress.

The panel paused a lower‑court injunction that had blocked the rule, finding that the Postal Service has shown a strong likelihood of success and that delaying implementation could cause "irreparable harm" before the 2026 midterm elections. The rule has been challenged by the NAACP and Democratic‑led states, who argue it violates a 2021 settlement and infringes on state election‑oversight powers. The court determined the settlement does not preclude the new policy.