US Supreme Court blocks Trump's mail ballot restrictions for midterm elections

The US Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's request to allow new mail ballot restrictions to take effect, with midterm voting already underway.

• The decision allows states to continue sending mail ballots under the same processes they have used for years.
• The Trump administration plan would require states to adopt a uniform envelope style and submit eligible voter lists to an online portal, with the postal service able to refuse delivery to non-compliant states.
• Election officials said a complete overhaul in the weeks before the midterms was impossible, as Alabama, North Carolina and Wisconsin had already begun sending ballots.
• Democratic state officials and voting rights groups argued the president has no constitutional authority to set election rules that would "virtually eliminate mail voting on the eve of a major election."
• The Supreme Court's unsigned order stated the administration was unlikely to succeed on the merits, with Justices Alito and Thomas dissenting.
• The plan stems from a March executive order by President Trump tightening mail-in voting rules.