At the direction of President Trump, the United States Postal Service (USPS) issued a proposed rule on June 2, 2026, that would erect barriers to mail voting.

View the proposed plan here: federalregister.gov/documents/2026/06/02/2026-10968/ballot-mail-for-federal-elections

Public Comment is being taken. The USPS comment period is open until July 2, 2026, at 5PM Eastern.

LWV has provided an online form to make it easier for individual voters to weigh in. You may opt to provide your comment here: lwv.org/take-action/oppose-proposed-mail-and-absentee-ballot-regulations

The League of Women Voters supports mail-in voting and opposes the USPS plan:

These proposed amendments would create unnecessary barriers to voting that could prevent eligible voters from receiving and returning their mail-in and absentee ballots and could even serve to disenfranchise eligible voters who are unable to vote in person.

Under the amendments, USPS would need to verify that mailed ballots are only being sent to approved voters on a list supplied by states. This gives USPS a role in election administration that rightfully belongs to state and local election officials.

The proposal would also establish mandatory ballot-mail design and tracking requirements, including requiring states to update their mail ballot envelopes to include voter unique ballot-tracking barcodes. 

Everyone agrees that election mail should be secure. But these new federal requirements will create barriers that could prevent eligible voters from receiving and returning their mail-in and absentee ballots in time to be counted.

Voting is a fundamental right for citizens that must be guaranteed. Voting by mail is part of that right and is a critical part of the election process throughout the United States.

If you have an opinion about this issue, please provide your comment to the US Postal Service using the links provided above.