The GOP-controlled Senate refused to pass the SAVE America Act before leaving town on summer recess, but the Trump administration is doing what it can to shore up voter integrity and transparency ahead of the midterms.
The U.S. Postal Service has adopted new standards governing mail-in and absentee ballots used in federal elections, introducing additional identification, tracking and data-reporting requirements for election officials.
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Under the new policy, states and local election authorities will be required to provide specified voter and ballot information through the Postal Service’s new Federal Ballot Mail Portal before outbound federal ballots are accepted into the mailstream.
The standards are intended to give USPS greater visibility into ballot mail and establish more uniform procedures for tracking ballots as they move through the postal system.
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Election officials that fail or decline to provide the required information could have affected outbound ballot mailings rejected for entry into the Postal Service network.
The changes represent a significant expansion of federal standards surrounding the handling and tracking of mail ballots ahead of the November midterm elections.
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“The Postal Service is amending the Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual, regarding the transmission of mail-in or absentee ballots for federal elections pursuant to its rulemaking authority,” the rule states.
“Any state that intends to receive mail-in or absentee ballots from individual voters through the Postal Service must ensure that such individuals have been enrolled with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state’s Mail-In and Absentee Participation List,” the rule noted further.
The new Postal Service rule follows President Donald Trump’s broader effort to tighten requirements surrounding mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In March, Trump signed an executive order titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” which included provisions aimed at creating a national voter list that could be used by the Postal Service when handling mail ballots.
The Trump administration has argued that the changes are designed to strengthen election security and help ensure that mail-in ballots are distributed only to eligible voters.
Implementation, however, has encountered a significant legal obstacle.
U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani of Massachusetts, an Obama appointee, issued a preliminary injunction earlier this month preventing the Postal Service from implementing or enforcing the relevant portion of Trump’s executive order for the 2026 elections.
The injunction also prevents USPS from refusing to transmit mail-in or absentee ballots under the challenged provision while the litigation continues.
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The legal battle comes as state and local election officials prepare for the Nov. 3 midterm elections, with the rules governing mail voting continuing to generate disputes between the Trump administration and election authorities.
Early mail-in voting begins next month in some states.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration is preparing a major expansion of federal election monitoring ahead of November’s midterm elections, with the Justice Department planning to deploy a record 1,000 monitors across the country.
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Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon announced that monitors will be stationed at polling locations nationwide to oversee compliance with the Voting Rights Act and other federal election laws.
The planned deployment represents a significant increase from previous election cycles. The 1,000-person operation would nearly quadruple the number of federal monitors deployed during the 2022 midterms.
It would also substantially exceed the 714 personnel sent to monitor the 2024 presidential election.
The administration says the expanded presence is intended to strengthen enforcement of federal election protections and provide additional oversight as voters head to the polls in November.
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The Trump administration’s move comes as the SAVE America Act, a sweeping Republican-backed election security package, remains stalled in the Senate despite public support for several of its key provisions.
The legislation has been unable to advance amid opposition from Democrats and resistance from a handful of Republican senators who have declined to support efforts to overcome the procedural roadblocks preventing a final vote.
This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
