The Trump administration has asked the US Supreme Court to allow enforcement of an executive order that would tighten rules for postal voting before the November midterm elections. The case matters because it concerns how far a president may go in shaping election administration, an area where states and Congress traditionally hold primary authority, and because any ruling could affect voting arrangements in much of the country.

The March order directs federal agencies to create state citizenship lists and instructs the Postal Service to send postal ballots only to voters on those lists; it also envisages tracked, secure ballot envelopes and possible funding penalties for non-compliance. A federal judge blocked these provisions for 23 states and Washington, DC, for the 3 November election, and a divided appeals court declined to lift that block, warning of confusion and potential disenfranchisement. The administration says agencies are still deciding how to implement the policy and needs a quick ruling, while the states argue the order exceeds presidential authority.