The U.S. Supreme Court has kept new U.S. Postal Service restrictions on mail ballots blocked for the November 3 election. That means USPS will continue delivering election mail under the existing system for the 2026 election.
For Michigan voters, the most important thing to know is simple: nothing has changed about voting absentee this November.
All registered Michigan voters can vote absentee. You can still request your ballot, receive it by mail, complete it, and return it using Michigan’s existing absentee voting process.
If you’ve been following the back-and-forth court decisions about mail voting and wondering what they mean for your own ballot, here’s what happened and what you need to know.
What was the dispute about?
Earlier this year, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing changes to how the U.S. Postal Service handles mail ballots.
USPS later developed new rules that would have required state and local election officials to follow new federal requirements before sending ballots through the mail. Among other changes, election officials would have had to submit information about voters receiving mail ballots through a new federal system. USPS could have refused to deliver some ballot mailings that did not meet the new requirements.
In simpler terms, USPS would have taken on a new role in deciding whether certain mail-ballot shipments met federal requirements before delivering them.
The rules were challenged in federal court, and a federal judge blocked them from taking effect. The federal government then asked the Supreme Court to allow the new rules to go into effect for the November election.
What did the U.S. Supreme Court decide?
On September 14, the Supreme Court declined to lift the lower court’s order blocking the new USPS requirements.
That means the new rules will not take effect for the November 3 election.
USPS will continue delivering election mail under the existing system rather than requiring states to implement the new rules for this election.
The larger legal case is not necessarily over. The rules could be considered again after the 2026 election. But voters do not need to follow every step of that legal process to understand what it means for November:
The proposed USPS changes are blocked for this election, and Michigan’s absentee voting process remains in place.
What does this mean for Michigan voters?
If you were planning to vote absentee this November, you do not need to change your plan because of this case.
Any registered Michigan voter can vote absentee. You do not need a reason.
You can request your absentee ballot now through Michigan’s online absentee ballot application.
Once you receive your ballot, complete it, place it in the return envelope, sign the envelope, and make a plan to return it on time.
You can return your completed absentee ballot:
- Por correo
- At your city or township clerk’s office
- At a secure ballot drop box in your city or township
- At an early voting site in your jurisdiction, where you can bring your absentee ballot and insert it directly into a tabulator
With the exception of eligible military and overseas ballots, your completed absentee ballot must be received by your local clerk by 8:00 PM on Election Day, Tuesday, November 3, to be counted.
If you’re voting by mail, make a plan to return your ballot
If you plan to return your absentee ballot through the mail, send it early.
The Michigan Department of State recommends mailing completed absentee ballots at least two weeks before Election Day to avoid possible postal delays.
For the November 3 election, October 20 marks two weeks before Election Day, so voters planning to return their ballots by mail should plan to send them by then.
Within two weeks of Election Day, consider returning your ballot directly to your local clerk’s office or using a secure ballot drop box in your city or township instead.
And you don’t have to wonder whether your ballot made it back to your clerk. You can track it.
Michigan voters can use “Track My Ballot” a mi.gov/voto to see when their local clerk mailed their absentee ballot and when the clerk’s office received the completed ballot.
Request your ballot early, return it on time, and track it so you know it was received.
The bottom line for Michigan voters
The court fight over the proposed USPS rules created uncertainty about what voting by mail might look like this November. The Supreme Court’s September 14 order gives voters an answer for the 2026 election.
The new USPS mail-ballot restrictions remain blocked. Nothing has changed about Michigan’s absentee voting process, and any registered Michigan voter can still choose to vote absentee.
If you’re voting absentee, request your ballot, make a plan to return it on time, and use Michigan’s ballot-tracking system to confirm that your local clerk received it.
VAAC will continue sharing accurate information about voting by mail and other voting options as Michigan voters prepare for the November 3 General Election.
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