Trump administration urges Supreme Court to allow order targeting mail-in voting

Lead

The Trump administration has asked the Supreme Court to allow it to move ahead with sweeping restrictions on mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections, according to multiple reports. The emergency appeal, filed by the Justice Department, seeks to pause lower court rulings that blocked parts of President Donald Trump's March executive order in 23 states and the District of Columbia.

The executive order would direct federal agencies to help create state lists of eligible voters and require the US Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists. The administration's request comes after a federal appeals court declined to halt a lower court ruling that blocked the order, prompting the administration to take the issue to the Supreme Court.

Coverage Comparison

The Al Jazeera report focuses on the administration's push to reshape federal elections, framing the restrictions as "sweeping" and noting that voting rights advocates say restricting mail-in voting could disproportionately affect Democratic voters. The report also mentions that Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud undermined the 2020 presidential election.

The Guardian report takes a more neutral tone, describing the executive order as potentially "dramatically" changing mail-in voting. It emphasizes that noncitizen voting has been shown to be rare, a fact that undercuts the stated rationale for the order.

The South China Morning Post report also adopts a neutral tone, detailing the Justice Department's request and the lower court rulings. It notes that Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, arguing that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president.

Key Claims

• The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to clear the way for an executive order that could dramatically change mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections, as reported by Al Jazeera, The Guardian, and the South China Morning Post.
• The Justice Department asked the justices to halt lower court decisions blocking the changes in nearly half the country, as reported by the South China Morning Post and The Guardian.
• Trump ordered the government to create a "state citizenship list" of eligible voters, and the US Postal Service is to deliver mail ballots only to people on that list, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Guardian.
• Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, saying the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president, as reported by The Guardian and the South China Morning Post.
• The executive order also instructs the Justice Department to prioritise investigations into election officials accused of issuing ballots to ineligible voters, as reported by Al Jazeera.
• Noncitizen voting has been shown to be rare, as reported by The Guardian.
• Trump has long claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud undermined the 2020 presidential election, as reported by Al Jazeera.
• Voting rights advocates say restricting mail-in voting could disproportionately affect Democratic voters, as reported by Al Jazeera.

Perspectives

Trump Administration: The administration argues that the executive order amounts to "general policy guidance" rather than a directive dictating how states should administer elections, and that the changes are needed to safeguard against non-US citizens voting, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Guardian.

Democratic Officials and Voting Rights Advocates: Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, arguing that the Constitution gives states and Congress the authority to set election rules, not the president. Their lawyers have said the proposed changes are ripe for abuse and could cause chaos. Voting rights advocates say restricting mail-in voting could disproportionately affect Democratic voters, as reported by The Guardian, the South China Morning Post, and Al Jazeera.

Judiciary: US District Judge Indira Talwani, nominated by Barack Obama, blocked the order in June, ruling that Trump lacked the authority to unilaterally change how states administer federal elections. The First US Circuit Court of Appeals declined to pause that ruling, prompting the administration to appeal to the Supreme Court, as reported by Al Jazeera and The Guardian.