President Donald Trump’s attempt to tighten federal control over the US electoral process has suffered a major setback after the Supreme Court blocked his executive order targeting mail ballots, but the wider campaign is expected to continue.
The Supreme Court’s decision on Monday stopped the administration from giving the US Postal Service a central role in screening mail ballots. However, the ruling represents only one part of a broader effort by the Trump administration to increase federal influence over elections that are largely administered by individual states.
The latest development came as the administration continued pursuing access to voter information and election records held by state authorities.
Just days before the Supreme Court ruling, the Justice Department sent letters to at least 30 senior election officials across the country, intensifying its push to obtain private voter data and other election records.
Federal officials have also been examining state-managed voter rolls in search of noncitizens, despite a lack of evidence pointing to widespread voter fraud.
The administration has also raised questions about the reliability of voting technology. Trump’s homeland security secretary recently called for an investigation into whether a widely used voting machine could be trusted, adding to concerns surrounding electronic voting systems.
Benjamin Hovland, a former member of the independent, bipartisan Election Assistance Commission who was removed by the Trump administration this year, warned that the Supreme Court ruling would not bring the wider dispute to an end.
“This is far from over,” Hovland said.
He acknowledged that the court’s decision reduced the potential “real-world impact” of the administration’s mail ballot order, particularly because voters in some states had already started sending their ballots.
However, Hovland said the administration’s broader actions remained concerning.
Trump’s efforts to influence election procedures have increasingly focused on areas traditionally handled by state and local authorities, including voter records, election technology and the processing of mail ballots.
The Supreme Court’s intervention therefore resolves only the immediate dispute over the Postal Service’s proposed role, while other battles over federal involvement in elections remain ongoing.
