Josh Shapiro celebrates as SCOTUS protects mail voting in Pa. and elsewhere from Trump’s restrictions
“Donald Trump’s illegal attempt to ... prevent eligible voters from making their voices heard in this election by voting by mail has failed,” the governor said.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro celebrated the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to block restrictions on mail voting sought by President Donald Trump less than two months before the midterm elections.
“Donald Trump’s illegal attempt to undermine our Constitution and prevent eligible voters from making their voices heard in this election by voting by mail has failed,” Shapiro said, in a statement posted to X Monday night in the wake of the ruling.
In March, the president issued an executive order that directed the U.S. Postal Service to help decide which voters should receive mail ballots. Shapiro, a first-term Democrat running for reelection this fall, had used his power as governor to join Pennsylvania as a plaintiff in a multi-state lawsuit against the Trump administration, arguing the limits would unfairly prevent thousands of voters from being able to cast a ballot, and unconstitutionally violated states’ rights to administer elections.
Since 2019, under a state measure known as Act 77, any voter in Pennsylvania may request to vote by mail ballot. The ruling Monday means nothing will change for those who were planning to vote by mail, whether by submitting their ballot through the mail or over the counter at their county’s election office. Eligible residents may also vote in person at their polling place on Election Day.
“Counties will continue to administer free, fair, safe, and secure elections. And I’ll stand ready to continue protecting your right to vote — no matter what the Trump Administration tries next,” Shapiro, a likely contender for the 2028 presidential race, wrote on X.
The deadline to register to vote in Pennsylvania’s contests, which include the governor’s race and four competitive congressional seats that could help determine control of the U.S. House, is Oct. 19. The last day to apply to vote by mail is Oct. 27. Ballots must be received by Nov. 3 at 8 p.m. to be counted.
Trump’s directive stemmed from his long-running grievance against mail voting, despite repeatedly utilizing the method himself. He had instructed states to develop an approved list of voters, to prevent noncitizens from voting, and ordered the Postal Service to withhold mail ballots from individuals not on the approved list.
On Tuesday, he called America’s mail voting system a “disaster” and said the justices who voted to block his order, some of whom he appointed, “are merely a shell of their original selves” in post on Truth Social, his social media platform.
At the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas last week, Trump asked attendees to pledge that they would vote whether they are “registered or not” and to “try to cheat like hell like they do,” despite no evidence of systematic voter fraud by either party.
Pennsylvania Democrats and election officials in the state had doubted the viability of Trump’s order throughout the court proceedings — but said the renewed debate could still instill concern among voters that their ballots would be tabulated.
Secretary of State Al Schmidt, a Republican appointed by Shapiro, reaffirmed voters’ ability to vote by mail even during a virtual news conference last week before the decision.
“Despite the federal government’s attempts, and while we recognize that litigation is ongoing, nothing has changed about Pennsylvania’s mail ballot voting laws, and voters should have confidence that eligible Pennsylvanians who choose to vote by mail can still do so safely and securely,” he said.
