Tennessee elections officials are reviewing a new U.S. Postal Service rule that seeks to carry out President Donald Trump's crackdown on mail-in voting. Courts in other states have temporarily blocked implementation, but the Supreme Court said on Aug. 24 that lower courts moved too quickly.
Tennessee officials say that because of the ongoing legal battles, it’s too early to discuss what implementation could look like in Tennessee.
The new USPS rule stems from a March executive order by President Donald Trump calling for tighter rules on mail-in voting and radically expanding federal control over the absentee ballot process.
Under the executive order, the Department of Homeland Security must coordinate with the Social Security Administration to
create lists of voting-age U.S. citizens who are residents of each state and transmit them to state voting officials at least 60 days before an election (in Tennessee, this would be Sept. 4). The U.S. Postal Service would then oversee mail-in ballots, guided by "uniform standards" for ballots and barring delivery of ballots from unapproved voters. USPS would provide each state with a list of voters who are "enrolled" with the agency.
USPS published 95 pages of new guidance Aug. 21 that, if allowed to take effect, would bar delivery of mail-in ballots to voters in states that have not shared lists of approved absentee voters with the federal government. The new rule is set to be formally published Aug. 26, but USPS will take no action to implement the order unless a court lifts the injunction.
Trump's executive order is currently blocked by courts in California and Massachusetts. But with new guidance from USPS in place, the rule could take immediate effect if the courts' injunctions are lifted – and potentially impact upcoming midterm elections.
On Aug. 24, the Supreme Court said lower courts moved too quickly when they paused Trump's executive order. But the crucial part of the order, new rules for USPS delivery of absentee ballots, remains on hold.
Ben Hill, a spokesperson for the Tennessee Secretary of State’s office, which houses the state’s division of elections, said officials are reviewing the 95 pages of material that were released late Friday.
“At this time, we are still evaluating the rule's requirements, its potential impact on Tennessee election administration, and any actions that might be required should the rule ultimately take effect,” Hill said, stressing that the new USPS rule is not being implemented, pending the ongoing court case.
“At this stage, any discussion of potential implementation would be premature until there is greater clarity regarding the rule's legal status and effective enforcement,” Hill added. "The Postal Service has stated that it will not take steps to implement the rule for the 2026 election unless those injunctions are lifted or modified.”
About 3% of Tennessee voters cast ballots by mail in 2024, roughly 98,000 people voted by mail in 2024.
So far, Tennessee officials have not made any decisions about how Tennessee would implement the new requirements if the USPS rule is allowed to take effect.
"We will continue to monitor developments in the litigation and assess any obligations that may arise if the courts permit the rule to move forward," Hill said.
Earlier this year, Tennessee election officials shared the state’s voter rolls, including voters’ Social Security numbers, with the federal government under pressure from the Trump Department of Justice.
But, after months of contention with the DOJ, officials refused to sign a memorandum of understanding that would have required voters to be automatically purged from Tennessee voter rolls within 45 days if the Justice Department deemed them ineligible – saying the 45-day deadline would violate the National Voter Registration Act.
Vivian Jones covers state government and politics for The Tennessean. Reach her at vjones@tennessean.com.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: TN election officials reviewing Trump's new mail-in ballot rule
