The Trump administration has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the nationwide implementation of an executive order aimed at tightening rules for mail-in voting ahead of the November midterm elections. The appeal seeks to clear the way for an overhaul of the process that could dramatically change mail-in voting for the elections that will decide control of Congress.
The request follows rulings from lower courts that blocked federal officials from implementing the directives in nearly half the country. A federal appeals court, including judges of the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, upheld a decision to keep restrictions blocked in 23 states. The lower courts ruled that the president lacked the authority to change state election rules.
The executive order sought to create a federal voter list and limit who can receive a mail ballot. The appeals court found that states must prepare for potentially disruptive election changes, while other rulings expressed fear that the order would spark mass voter disenfranchisement.
This executive order is part of the president's wider efforts to make changes in elections. The administration is now asking the Supreme Court to set aside the previous decisions to allow the mail-in voting restrictions to move forward.