Overview
- Postmaster General David Steiner confirmed Thursday that the Postal Service has halted development of the online portal and verification system tied to President Trump’s March executive order and that the agency will not enforce the new rules for the 2026 federal election.
- An internal USPS memo told employees that election mail will be handled under current procedures and will not require the proposed barcode‑standard envelopes or state voter lists for the upcoming midterms.
- Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s whistleblower report and inspector‑general findings said the portal was built on a compressed timeline, contained errors and risked rejecting or delaying large bulk mailings when barcodes or lists did not match.
- States and local officials are already reporting more ballots rejected for late postmarks in vote‑by‑mail states such as Washington and Oregon, raising concern that any rushed technical changes could worsen delays or disenfranchise voters.
- Although the Supreme Court blocked enforcement for this year, lawyers, Congress and the Justice Department continue to press for information and litigation, so the dispute over federalizing parts of mail voting could return to courts or rulemaking later.