After New York Attorney General Letitia James joined a multistate lawsuit challenging a new U.S. Postal Service rule governing mail-in ballots ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections, according to a press release. As of Aug. 27, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani has blocked the proposed rule, according to CBS.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, Aug. 26, challenged requirements issued by USPS under an executive order from President Donald Trump. The rule would require states to provide the U.S. Postal Service with lists of voters receiving mail ballots and submit ballot-envelope designs for approval. It also establishes new requirements for ballot envelopes, including unique barcodes.
The attempted rule change by the Trump Administration came less than 70 days before general elections.
“Across the country, states are already deep into preparations for the 2026 elections. Now, at the last moment, the federal government is attempting to meddle in those preparations and potentially threaten countless Americans’ right to vote,” said James.
The coalition argued that USPS could refuse to deliver ballots that do not comply with the new requirements, and that the rule could create additional costs and administrative work for states, including purchasing new supplies and developing systems to provide voter information to USPS and training staff. It also warns that errors in voter lists or problems with the new requirements could prevent eligible voters from successfully casting ballots by mail.
"Based on the record presently before the court, Plaintiff States face irreparable harm where they are required to comply with a likely unconstitutional regulation for which compliance is practically impossible as to the 2026 midterm elections, now little more than two months away," Talwani wrote. "Most Plaintiff States have already ordered their mail ballots, and some are required by state law to send them to eligible voters as early as next week."
About 30 percent of voters nationwide cast their ballots by mail in the 2024 general election, according to Reuters. The USPS processed nearly 100 million ballots during that election, according to the coalition.
James and the other plaintiffs argued that USPS lacks authority to establish federal requirements for determining which voters can participate in mail voting. They also allege that the rule violates federal voting rights and privacy protections and interferes with states’ authority to administer elections.
