A U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing the Trump administration's mail-voting order to move forward does not immediately change how Maryland voters cast absentee ballots.
But that could change as Maryland election officials prepare to mail ballots for the important Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The Supreme Court on Monday lifted a ruling that had blocked parts of President Donald Trump's March executive order governing mail and absentee voting. The justices did not decide whether the president has the constitutional authority to impose the changes.
Instead, the court found that the 23 states challenging the order had argued Trump overstepped his authority by interfering with states' ability to run elections and Congress' constitutional power to set or change rules for federal elections.
The court said the states, including Maryland, sued too soon and had not shown the concrete, imminent harm necessary to bring their claims when the lawsuit was filed.
The Supreme Court ruling covered several parts of Trump's election order, but the piece most relevant to mail voting involved the Postal Service.
When the states sued, Trump had only directed the USPS to develop new rules for mailed ballots. The Postal Service finalized a rule requiring election offices to use approved, trackable envelopes for federal ballots and submit ballot-mailing information through a federal portal.
However, a separate federal court injunction currently prevents USPS from implementing those changes for the 2026 election.
The Trump administration is seeking to have that order lifted, and additional litigation is expected.
If the rule takes effect, state and local election offices would have to comply with the new envelope, barcode and reporting requirements. Voters would not have to sign up with USPS, and the Postal Service would not decide who is eligible to vote.
The reporting requirement is likely to draw particular scrutiny because the Trump administration is already collecting statewide voter-registration data through a separate Justice Department effort.
The states that have fully complied so far are Republican-led. Iowa, for example, turned over its voter file in May, including sensitive identifying information.
The USPS rule would require a different disclosure: information identifying voters being sent mail ballots and the barcodes associated with those ballots.
The practical concern is that USPS could reject batches of ballots that do not meet the new requirements, forcing election officials to correct and resend them — a potentially significant problem as ballot-mailing dates approach.
Election officials in the Old Line State are scheduled to begin mailing ballots over the next several weeks. Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis has said that the process for mail-in voting remains unchanged and secure.
Importantly, the Supreme Court's ruling does not uphold Trump's mail-voting policies as constitutional.
The court's conservative majority instead focused on whether the states had standing to challenge the executive order when they filed their lawsuit.
The court said the executive order largely directed federal officials to take future actions and did not require states to take any action.
At the time the lawsuit was filed, the Postal Service had not adopted its final rule, so the majority said predictions about how the federal government would ultimately implement the order — and how states would be affected — were too speculative.
That leaves open the possibility of new challenges based on actions federal agencies have taken since then.
The timing could make those fights significant. The first ballots for military and overseas voters are scheduled to begin going out in early September, followed by absentee and mail ballots for other voters, with deadlines set by individual states.
For now, voters should continue following Maryland's existing instructions for requesting and returning mail or absentee ballots unless state or local election officials announce a change.
Maryland allows all residents to submit a mail-in ballot, so long as they are a registered voter. Residents can confirm their registration through an online portal.
Ballots are sent out or made available for download at least 45 days before an election.
The deadline to request a mail/absentee ballot for the upcoming November election is Tuesday, Oct. 27, for individuals wanting to receive the ballot by mail or fax.
A request for a print-at-home ballot must be submitted by Friday, Oct. 30. However, residents who choose this option must use their own envelope and return the ballot and accompanying oath by mail, at a ballot dropbox, or in person.
All mail-in ballots take approximately one week to process, according to the state board of elections.
A completed ballot returned by mail must be postmarked or placed inside a drop-off box by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3, 2026. A list of official ballot box locations is available online.
Maryland also offers an online system where voters can track their ballot request or the status of their mailed ballot.
Voters should check with the Maryland State Board of Elections or their local election office for the latest instructions as the federal court fight remains unresolved.
The Postal Service urges voters to allow enough time for ballot delivery and return, and to follow their state's deadlines and instructions.
Two judges struck down a redistricting initiative pushed through the General Assembly by Maryland Democrats, citing violations of several election laws.
The first of the two strikes came Wednesday in a ruling by Anne Arundel County Circuit Court Judge Robert Thompson.
Thompson said the measure was unlawfully included on Maryland's November ballot, despite lawmakers violating a July 1 deadline for all statewide ballot questions.
Related: MD Redistricting Blocked From November Ballot, Judge Rules
The amendment, according to Thompson, also used "intentionally misleading" wording for the ballot question and violates a single-issue requirement in the Constitution by including a provision that would grant the state Supreme Court original jurisdiction over lawsuits involving congressional redistricting.
The second strike came down Friday from Dorchester County Judge S. James Sarbanes, who largely echoed Thompson's sentiments of rush procedures and election law violations by lawmakers.
Both judges stayed their orders pending an appeal to the state Supreme Court. Arguments are expected to be heard Thursday.
Related: 2nd Judge Blocks MD Redistricting Question From November Ballot
House Bill 2100 had passed the House of Delegates with a 96-38 vote and the Senate with a 32-13 vote in early August.
Maryland was looking to follow California's path, where voters approved a Democratic-backed amendment authorizing mid-decade redistricting. Democrats hope to gain as many as five congressional seats from California's redrawn districts, plus an additional seat from new districts in Utah.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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