How SCOTUS' mail-in ballot ruling impacts Minnesota

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday blocked the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing new regulations for voting by mail, just days before midterm election voting is set to start in Minnesota.

The regulations were an effort pushed by the Trump administration to address what it says is the risk of fraud in voting by mail. The ruling means Minnesota's mail-in voting process will stay the same for the upcoming election.

The rules would have required new mail ballot envelopes carrying unique barcodes, along with other design changes. States would also have had to send the Postal Service information about voters receiving mail ballots. The Postal Service said ballots that didn't meet those requirements could be rejected and returned to election offices.

Election officials warned they would have had very little time to make those changes before the November election. Secretary of State Steve Simon welcomed the ruling in a statement to WCCO on Monday.

"Election officials across the state will be able to breathe easier knowing their work will not be upended by a last-minute unconstitutional power grab by the federal government," Simon said. "Our office will continue to protect voters' rights and stand with our dedicated local election officials."

David Schultz, a political science professor at Hamline University in St. Paul, said the fight raises a bigger question about how much authority the president and the Postal Service have over elections. President Trump has argued changes are needed because of fraud concerns. Schultz said what the president is pushing for could affect voters across party lines.

"Trump still believes, growing out of the 2020 elections, that the election was stolen, and he believes that mail-in ballots are riddled with fraud, even though there's absolutely no evidence to support his contention," Schultz said. "And if he were to get his way, he would probably hurt just as many Republicans who vote early as you would hurt Democrats or independents."

The court's decision doesn't end the legal fight over the rules. The justices left in place a lower court order blocking the regulations while the challenge moves forward. For now, Minnesota election officials can continue using the existing mail ballot process.