Trump’s push to restrict mail ballots has failed. Other efforts to protect the midterms are ongoing

WASHINGTON — (SRN NEWS) President Donald Trump’s effort to give the federal government a larger role in election administration has suffered a setback at the Supreme Court, but the administration says its broader campaign to strengthen election security will continue.

The justices this week declined to allow a sweeping overhaul of mail-voting procedures before the 2026 midterm elections. The plan would have required states to make major changes on a compressed timeline, a move election officials said could have disrupted voting operations.

The decision leaves states in charge of running the election, as required by the Constitution. But it does not end the administration’s efforts to investigate voter eligibility, preserve election records and challenge what Trump and his supporters describe as weaknesses in the system.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said Tuesday the Justice Department will continue its work.

“I expect you’re going to see that work continue,” Blanche told reporters at a White House briefing.

The administration has focused heavily on allegations that noncitizens could be registered to vote. Trump has argued that voter rolls must be reviewed more aggressively to protect the integrity of elections.

One major initiative involves the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements program, known as SAVE. The administration has sought to expand the system so state election officials can compare voter-registration information with federal immigration records.

At least 67 million registrations have reportedly been scanned through the program since last year. Supporters say the effort could identify ineligible registrations and help states maintain accurate voter rolls. Critics warn that legitimate voters could be mistakenly flagged or removed.

A federal judge blocked the expanded program in June, ruling that the administration had exceeded its authority and raised privacy concerns. The Justice Department has asked the Supreme Court to intervene.

The federal government is also pressing states to provide voter-registration records that can include addresses, dates of birth, driver’s-license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. The Justice Department recently sent letters to 29 states and the District of Columbia ordering officials to preserve 2024 election documents while warning that the jurisdictions were under investigation over their refusal to provide requested data.

The Department of Homeland Security has launched a separate review of state voter rolls. According to a whistleblower report released Monday, federal employees were assigned to manually compare state records with immigration data in an initiative called the Unlawful Voter Initiative.

Trump has also faced legal challenges to executive orders affecting election administration. In Congress, his push for a proof-of-citizenship measure, the SAVE America Act, has stalled because it lacks enough support in the Senate.

Democrats and voting-rights groups say the administration’s actions could intimidate voters and interfere with state election systems. Republicans counter that election officials should welcome federal assistance aimed at identifying fraud and ensuring that only eligible citizens participate.