Main-In Voting is Safe... For Now

This Monday, September 14th, the Supreme Court finally shot down President Donald Trump's long-sought restrictions on mail-in ballots. Mail-in voting has been a frequent victim of Trump's ire since he lost the 2020 presidential election, and they were a primary target for his fraudulent claims of election interference.

Trump made his most recent bid to restrict the practice in something of a last ditch effort to sway the upcoming midterm elections. The SCOTUS voted 7-2 to reject the restrictions in an emergency council, citing its likeliness to lose in court as justification to put the issue to bed for the midterms.

However, it is clear that several Justices are willing to hear out Trump's directions on the matter once the midterms are concluded. Among them is Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who agreed with the majority that the proximity to the midterms is simply too near for such major changes. Justices Alito and Thomas publicly dissented from the majority on the issue.

The decision allows for states to send out mail-in ballots as usual and follow their standard protocols for absentee voting. Several election officials have confirmed that an overhaul such as what Trump had wanted simply could not be achieved less than two months before election day. This is especially evident since several states had already begun sending out their mail-in ballots, including in Alabama, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

So... what exactly was Trump's plan? In short, Trump's executive order directed the USPS to only send out absentee envelopes if they were of a specific design and matched a list of registered voters on an online portal. This would allow Trump to supersede the division between federal and state powers. Since elections were made the purview of state governments in our Constitution, not the federal government, Trump used his control over the USPS as part of the executive branch to limit the state's control over their own elections.

This isn't the only attempt Trump has made recently to influence the upcoming midterms. Last Thursday, September 10th, Trump announced his intentions to send $5,000 to every American adult if the GOP maintained control of both the House and the Senate during the elections. This bribe violates 18 U.S. Code § 597, a Congressional law originating in the 1940's which attempts to prevent exactly this sort of electoral manipulation:

"Whoever makes or offers to make an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate; and whoever solicits, accepts, or receives any such expenditure in consideration of his vote or the withholding of his vote— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both; and if the violation was willful, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than two years, or both."

Trump's announcement drew widespread criticism for both its obvious intentions to defraud the midterm elections and its unfathomable >$1.2 Trillion cost if it were to go through. Even right wing pundits like Laura Ingraham pressed Trump on the plan.

This is also not the first time Trump has promised thousands to each American adult. In 2025 he said he would give out a $5,000 dividend due to the revenue produced from his sweeping tariffs, this dividend never materialized. His DOGE cuts to government programs and personnel was also promised to return thousands to the pockets of Americans, which it never did.

-Paul Taylor

(Web Content Director at WXOU)

Credit Rick McKee