US Supreme Court clears the way for Trump mail voting order in advance of midterms

Trump has vowed to end ⁠the use of mail-in ballots, which he has blamed – without credible evidence – for his loss to Joe Biden in 2020

The Supreme Court on Monday cleared the way for US President Donald Trump to move ahead with his executive order restricting mail-in voting, though it remains unclear how much his administration can implement before the fast-approaching midterm elections.

The decision appears to leave room for additional court challenges that could further slow Trump’s order. The US Postal Service laid out how it would implement the order last week but time is running short to impose major changes with some states beginning to send mail ballots to voters in just a few weeks.

The Supreme Court’s three liberal-leaning justices dissented from the unsigned order.

Mail balloting has long been a favourite target for Trump, who has claimed that it breeds fraud despite strong evidence to the contrary and his own use of the voting method.

The case could be one of multiple voting-related challenges before the justices. The Justice Department had filed an emergency appeal asking the high court to allow work on implementing the changes before the midterms.

Trump’s executive order, signed in March, calls on his administration to create lists of eligible voters and orders the US Postal Service to deliver mail ballots only to people on those lists.

Democratic officials in 23 states and the District of Columbia sued to block the order. They argued that the Constitution gives states and Congress the power to run elections, and Trump’s changes could lead to chaos and partisan abuse.