US SUPREME COURT ALLOWS TRUMP MAIL VOTING RESTRICTIONS

The US Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for President Donald Trump to proceed with an executive order restricting mail-in voting ahead of November's midterm elections. The court approved an emergency appeal from the Trump administration, allowing implementation of changes the Justice Department had sought to begin before the elections. Lower courts had previously blocked the order, but the Supreme Court's ruling leaves room for additional legal challenges. The court's three liberal-leaning justices dissented from the unsigned order.

Trump issued the order in March directing the government to create a "state citizenship list" of eligible voters, requiring that mail-in ballots be delivered only to people on that list. Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued, arguing the US Constitution grants states and Congress authority to set election rules, not the president. A federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the order for the plaintiff states, a decision upheld by a first circuit appeals panel. The US Postal Service outlined implementation plans last week, but time remains limited with some states preparing to send mail ballots to voters within weeks.

Trump has repeatedly characterised mail voting as fraudulent, though evidence supporting this claim has not emerged. He has voted by mail himself and has blamed the method for his loss to Joe Biden in 2020. Democratic voters cast mail ballots at higher rates than Republicans: according to the States United Democracy Centre, about one in four registered Democrats used mail voting in 2024, compared with one in five registered Republicans. The midterm elections will determine control of the US Senate and House of Representatives.