USPS voting rule ‘would be chaos’ if implemented this close to election, blue states warn Supreme Court

• “Whatever else may be said of USPS’s new rule, it would wreak havoc on States and their voters if it takes effect at this late point,” Democratic attorneys general told the Supreme Court today.

➤ More on what they argued

‘Uncharted territory’: Votes already cast could be at risk if Trump’s order is revived

• Critical infrastructure needed to implement part of the Postal Service’s mail voting rule still doesn't exist while the Trump administration aggressively presses SCOTUS to reinstate the rule for the midterms. Meanwhile, mail voting is underway in several states.
  
  
• That has some experts issuing stark warnings that votes already cast could be at risk of being thrown out if the U.S. Supreme Court lifts the injunction currently blocking the rule.

➤ What experts told us

Postal workers slam Trump’s mail voting restriction

• A union representing more than 200,000 postal workers alleged that a “catastrophic wholesale non-delivery” of hundreds of thousands of mail ballots will likely occur if states are forced to comply with the Postal Service’s mail-voting rule.
  
  
• The American Postal Workers Union issued the warning while urging SCOTUS to reject the DOJ bid to lift a lower court order currently barring USPS from mandating that states comply with its sudden election mail restrictions.

➤ More on the union’s warning

DOJ argues Trump’s mail voting restrictions should go into effect even if voters are disenfranchised

• The DOJ wants a lower court order blocking USPS’s new mail voting rule lifted — even if it means voters would be disenfranchised as a result.

➤ Wait… what?!

Thousands of overseas voters could be disenfranchised by Trump mail voting rule, advocates warn

• A nonpartisan network of former military and civilian leaders is warning that hundreds of thousands of overseas voters could be disenfranchised if a new USPS rule based on Trump’s anti-mail voting order is allowed to stand.

➤ What they said in support of the challenge to the rule

The latest in Missouri: Gerrymander foes ask SCOTUS to block GOP map

• Opponents of Missouri’s GOP gerrymander asked SCOTUS to block a district court order that has thrown elections into last-minute chaos, with local officials overdue to finalize ballots for the 2026 midterms.

➤ More on their ask to SCOTUS

GOP election chief asks federal judge to shield him from contempt charges

• Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins (R) made a last-minute request to a federal district court to shield him from a potential contempt finding in the state Supreme Court after telling local officials to use a gerrymandered map the justices explicitly blocked.
  
  
• Hoskins’ instructions and dueling court orders injected even more chaos into an election process he has spent the last year attempting to undermine in order to deliver the gerrymandered map Trump demanded.

➤ More on his last-minute request

Need a refresher on what’s happening in Missouri? We’ve got you covered

• We know there are a lot of moving pieces, so let’s simplify things.
  

• • SCOTUS rejected Missouri Republicans’ appeal of a state Supreme Court order barring state officials from using a new GOP congressional gerrymander in this year’s election.
    
    
  • Shortly after, a federal District Court judge revived the gerrymandered map.
    
    
  • Opponents of the GOP gerrymander asked the District Court and the 8th Circuit to immediately pause the District Court’s order requiring the gerrymandered map to be used in November.
    
    
  • Hoskins has been ordered to appear in person before the state Supreme Court tomorrow to explain why he should not be held in contempt, citing an email he sent directing election officials to use the gerrymandered map in defiance of its ruling.

➤ Here’s a helpful breakdown

Trump administration makes it harder for some overseas voters to request a ballot

• In the GOP’s latest effort to make voting more difficult or outright disenfranchise certain groups of overseas voters, the Trump administration removed a checkbox from an obscure federal form used by those voters to request mail ballots.
  
  
• Democracy Docket examined the form and found the administration has removed a checkbox that read: “I am a U.S. citizen living outside the country, I have never lived in the United States.” The form no longer includes a box for citizens abroad who have never lived in the United States.

➤ Read more about the latest attempt at disenfranchising voters

Court refuses to reinstate Ohio GOP’s voting restriction during appeal

• In a win for voters, a federal judge today refused to let Ohio election officials enforce the state’s proof-of-citizenship voter registration law while the state appeals an earlier ruling blocking the restriction.
  
  
• The decision keeps the law unenforceable as a key registration deadline approaches.
  
  
• Shortly after, Ohio asked the 6th Circuit to pause the lower court’s ruling blocking the law.

➤ The latest in Ohio

Here is Trump’s blueprint to rig the 2026 midterms

• “What once seemed like an abstract threat has now become concrete. The risk of a rigged election is no longer unthinkable,” Marc writes in a new op-ed. “The need for action can no longer be delayed or denied.
  
  

• This piece was originally written for Democracy Docket members. We’re sharing this one with everyone because the stakes for this election are too high not to. Become a member to get Marc’s exclusive analysis first.

➤ Read Marc’s latest opinion piece

Here we share noteworthy briefs on all things voting rights and democracy. Have a footnote for us? Send it to newsletters@democracydocket.com.

• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appeared to defend Trump’s (debunked) tale about his experiences on Sept. 11 by claiming that “September 11th was 25 years ago.” I guess making stuff up is OK as long as it's been 25 years.
  
  
• Any video game fans out there? If so, prepare to be offended. The White House released some AI slop that portrayed Trump as the character Link from “The Legend of Zelda.” It’s as dumb as you think.
  
  
• Jeanine Pirro, the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, is clearly very tired of talking about the ongoing silly case involving the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
  
  
• Hoskins is taking a cringe-worthy victory lap on social media about the gerrymandered map — even though he hasn’t won yet. If you are comparing yourself to one of the best baseball players ever, you clearly need to go touch some grass.
  
  
• Speaking of baseball… I’m not even going to comment on the substance of Vivek Ramaswamy’s latest Instagram video — it's full of GOP talking points and nonsense — but as a baseball fan, I will for sure comment on how he cannot swing a bat at all.