Federal Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump's Mail-In Voting Rules

What is the reform about?

Immediately after the plans became known, critics had expressed suspicion that Trump wanted to deliberately restrict mail-in voting. The concern: voter groups that vote by mail more frequently than average could be effectively excluded from voting by shorter deadlines and stricter rules.

The available documents also show that the reform affects several federal states to varying degrees. In some states, the new provisions would have made it significantly more difficult for hundreds of thousands of voters to participate in the upcoming vote, according to election rights organizations.

Judge Talwani justified her decision with serious constitutional concerns. The planned rules intervene deeply in established electoral procedures and therefore require particularly careful scrutiny. Until a final decision is made, the existing mail-in voting provisions remain in effect.

Reactions from Washington

The Trump administration announced it would appeal the decision to the appeals court. Should the case escalate further, involvement of the Supreme Court of the United States cannot be ruled out. Until then, it remains open which mail-in voting rules will actually apply in future elections.

Observers in Washington view the judge's move as a rare intervention by a single federal judge in election legislation. Comparable disputes over mail-in voting in the US last occurred during the 2020 presidential election. Back then as well, courts had to rule on individual tightening measures.

Critics of the reform point to analyses by independent election rights organizations showing that cases of election fraud involving mail-in voting are documented extremely rarely in the US. They therefore see the government's justification as pretextual and call for a broad public debate on the actual risks and benefits of mail-in voting.

What happens next?

The coming weeks are likely to show whether the appeals court upholds or lifts the temporary injunction. Both sides are already preparing extensive briefs. Until a decision is made: the existing mail-in voting rules remain in force.

Campaign reports state that Republicans see the reform as part of their program to "secure elections." Democrats and civil society organizations, by contrast, accuse the government of further damaging trust in the electoral system with the regulations rather than strengthening it.