Maryland mail-in voting protected through November election after Supreme Court ruling

Maryland voters will continue voting by mail under existing rules for the November election after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to halt a court order blocking a U.S. Postal Service mail voting rule.

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social, saying in part,"Republicans just got another bad decision from the United States Supreme Court, one that the Court System took forever to give, and then blamed it, in part, on no time left to implement a solution to our totally CORRUPT and out of control Mail-In voting 'disaster.'"

The high court denied the Trump administration's request to stay a preliminary injunction against the rule, allowing the injunction to remain in effect through Election Day on Nov. 3.

Maryland State Administrator of Elections Jared DeMarinis detailed the security measures involved in delivering mail-in voting.

"So throughout the entire process, the voter is aware of the entire system of where the ballot is. Additionally, we're tracking it. The canvas itself is open and transparent. So all this stuff here is basically safe and secure and transparent for people to trust the election results," DeMarinis said.

Maryland is part of a coalition of states challenging the rule in court. Opponents argue the measure could interfere with states' authority over elections and potentially affect access to mail-in voting.

In a statement Tuesday, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown praised the decision.

"The Supreme Court got it right," Brown said. "The Postal Service has no business deciding who gets a ballot and who doesn't."

Brown said the ruling prevents the federal government from interfering with mail-in voting ahead of the election while litigation continues. He called the rule an attempt to take control of election procedures that are traditionally handled by states.

"Our coalition's fight against this rule isn't over," Brown said. "But today, the right to vote by mail is protected for this election."

The legal challenge is ongoing, but the injunction will remain in place through the November 3 election.

We asked Sam Novey, who studies elections at the University of Maryland's Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, about the possibility that future elections could see this change.

"There appear to be enough votes on the court to to reject a similar proposal in the future. Obviously, the composition of the court can change and the content of the proposal can change," said Novey.

Mail-in ballots go out this weekend. The deadline to request a traditional mail-in ballot is October 27, and the deadline to request a print-at-home version is October 30.

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