Windhoek: The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump administration's new mail voting restrictions, less than two months before the November midterm elections. The court's decision prevents the implementation of the proposed rules aimed at altering how mail ballots are delivered and processed in the upcoming elections.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the court ruled that applying the rule in the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious, violating the Administrative Procedure Act. The court noted that state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections. This decision allows the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) to continue delivering ballots as it normally does without the newly proposed restrictions.

The controversy began when Trump signed an executive order on March 31, directing federal agencies to compile state-by-state lists of U.S. citizens eligible to vote. The order also instructed the USPS to establish a system where mail ballots would be delivered only to voters included on state-provided lists. This move prompted numerous organizations and a group of states led by California to sue in the District of Massachusetts. The District Court subsequently issued a series of injunctions blocking the implementation of Trump's order.

Under the blocked USPS plan, states would have been required to provide voters' names and addresses and use specific barcodes on ballot envelopes for USPS delivery. Despite the court's ruling, mail-in voting has already commenced in states such as Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. More states, including Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington, where elections are conducted largely or entirely by mail, will soon follow suit.