Supreme Court ruling could sow chaos for mail-in voting in midterms

The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to give preliminary approval to President Donald Trump's order restricting mail-in voting has introduced uncertainty into the November midterm elections. While the order might not change election procedures before November, it has already jeopardized a voting method used by nearly one-third of the country.

In its ruling, the high court stated it was too early for Democratic-led states to challenge the order in June, when they had convinced a federal judge to freeze the directive for the November election. This restarts the legal fight with an extremely compressed timeline, as the first ballots for overseas and military voters in North Carolina are scheduled to be sent out in just over a week.

The directive requires specific formatting for envelopes containing mail-in ballots and mandates states use an electronic system to identify mail voters to the Postal Service. If states do not comply, their mail-in ballots will not be delivered. Critics argue such a change with such short notice is impossible to implement.

"The decision needlessly injects chaos and uncertainty into the upcoming midterm elections," warned Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. However, legal experts have often noted that the president's order is unlikely to be implemented, as voting regulations fall under the jurisdiction of states and Congress, not the president.