By admin 
PHOENIX (AZFamily) — The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide whether new mail voting rules can take effect with less than two months remaining before Election Day.
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The case centers on an executive order President Donald Trump signed in March, which led the U.S. Postal Service to adopt new rules for handling mail-in ballots.
Six Republican secretaries of state warned in a letter to the Supreme Court that the timing of the changes, so close to an election, would significantly increase the likelihood of problems. They wrote that late changes would “breed confusion” and “erode confidence.”
What the new rules require
Trump signed the executive order in March, arguing the changes would enhance election integrity. In response, the U.S. Postal Service adopted new rules requiring states to share voter data with the USPS. The Postal Service would review the data and only deliver ballots that meet certain standards. The rules would also require states to use an approved envelope with a special barcode.
Lawsuits have followed, and results have been mixed. The Trump administration is now asking the Supreme Court to weigh in.
Former election official raises concerns
Stephen Richer, the former Maricopa County recorder who oversaw mail-in voting through the 2024 election, said election officials have already prepared for this election.
“None of this takes into account the fact that election officials already have their envelopes assembled,” Richer said. “They already have their mail lists ready. They’ve already got a plan in place. They already have these relationships with the USPS. They already have the way they’re going to go about doing this.”
Richer said elections officials spend years planning and that having uncertainty introduced now would be difficult for them.
“We are so close to the midterm election. I mean it seems unprecedented that we’d be this close with still so much up in the air,” Richer said. “That’s right in so many ways this election has already begun.”
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Some states have already started sending ballots out. North Carolina has sent out its mail ballots, and military and overseas ballots must go out by Sept. 15.
Richer said many election offices are small and are doing everything they can to keep up with the tasks in front of them.
“A lot of these offices are quite small, and they’re doing everything they can to just keep up with the tasks that are in front of them,” Richer said.
Richer also questioned why this is needed now when voter confidence was high after the 2024 election, when Trump won.
Despite the concerns, Richer said he maintains confidence in the process.
“I still have a high level of confidence in this process,” Richer said.
Mail-in voting has been used in Arizona almost as long as it has been a state. Data shows 80% of Arizonans receive their ballot by mail, which is why the court cases are being watched closely.
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