Mail-In Voting Saga Continues as DOJ Appeals Latest Block

New US Postal Service requirements for mail-in ballots are back on hold after a federal judge blocked their implementation for two weeks. The administration appealed the ruling Friday, continuing a fast-moving legal fight just weeks before Maryland begins sending ballots for the November election.

The latest turn comes days after the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) intervened in the case. As previously reported on Conduit Street, SCOTUS ruled that states had challenged the president’s executive order too early because USPS had not yet finalized the requirements.

The Court did not decide whether the requirements themselves are legal. A day later, US District Judge Indira Talwani lifted the previous injunction, briefly clearing the way for USPS to enforce its now-finalized rule.

Maryland and 24 other states immediately challenged the final rule and sought a temporary restraining order. Talwani granted that request last Thursday, finding that the states faced irreparable harm and had little practical ability to comply with the new requirements before the 2026 midterms.

The rule would require election administrators to provide USPS with voter and ballot-mail information, use unique barcodes on ballot envelopes, and submit envelope designs to USPS for review. USPS could reject outbound ballot mailings that fail the new process and return them to election administrators for correction.

The administration appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit on Friday. The appeal keeps alive a legal fight that began after the president issued the executive order in March 2025 and has since moved through several federal courts.

For now, the USPS requirements remain blocked, and Maryland’s mail-in voting laws remain unchanged. State and local election administrators continue preparing for the November election while the litigation moves forward.

Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.