News Releases

Attorney General Jones Stops Trump Administration’s Illegal USPS Mail Voting Rule  

Supreme Court rules in favor of coalition, blocking chaotic and burdensome requirements on Virginia’s vote-by-mail systems ahead of 2026 midterms 

RICHMOND, Va. – Attorney General Jay Jones and a coalition of 24 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania won in the Supreme Court, following the decision to leave in place a lower court order barring the United States Postal Service from carrying out sweeping changes to mail voting for November elections.  

“The Commonwealth of Virginia runs free, fair, and secure elections. Contrary to the lies he peddles, the greatest threat to confidence in our elections is not Virginia’s voters, election officials, or our election system – it is Donald Trump. His administration’s broader strategy to put federal political power between voters and the ballot box will fail,” said Attorney General Jones. “I urge every Virginian to exercise their fundamental right to vote this November. Vote by mail, use a dropbox, or vote early starting Friday, September 18 – our systems are safe and secure, and every eligible vote will be counted. This office is working closely and tirelessly with the Virginia Department of Elections to make sure no one gets in the way of Virginians’ rights.” 

On March 31, President Trump issued a chaotic Executive Order directing the U.S. Postal Service to adopt new regulations that would prohibit USPS from transmitting mail ballots to voters who are not on a USPS-controlled list.   

On August 21, USPS announced a new rule implementing the President’s demands that require states to register every voter who is eligible to vote by mail with USPS and tasking USPS with compiling the registered voters into state-specific lists. The rule would have established new design requirements for the mail-in ballot envelopes, which states are required to create and get approved by USPS. Under the rule, USPS would not have delivered ballots to voters who did not appear on the USPS-compiled lists and would not have delivered ballots in envelopes that lack USPS’s approval under the rule’s new standards.   

These changes were designed to create confusion and hack away at American’s faith in our voting systems. On August 26, Attorney General Jones and the coalition filed a lawsuit to block this burdensome and unlawful rule. On August 28, the court granted the coalition’s request for a temporary restraining order, finding that compliance with the rule before the November elections was “practically impossible” and that it created a significant risk of disenfranchisement.   

Voters will now be able to cast their ballot without being misled by the federal government. The Commonwealth of Virginia has always run safe, secure, and sound elections. Now that this outrageous rule has been shut down, voters should feel confident when they place their vote – whether that’s through mail, early voting, or on Election Day. The Office of the Attorney General has full faith in the poll workers, registrars, and other public servants who run our elections. This office also knows there is certainty in the power of the law. 

Attorney General Jones was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaiʻi, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.    

Published on: September 15, 2026

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