Appeals court weighs Trump-backed mail ballot limits

A federal appeals court heard arguments Tuesday as two groups of voters and voting-rights advocates warned that adopting Donald Trump’s proposed limits on mail-in ballots would effectively “get rid of” the option for millions of Americans.

The dispute centers on a Trump-backed push to restrict who can return someone else’s mail ballot, a move voting-rights groups say would disenfranchise elderly, disabled and rural voters who rely on family or neighbors to deliver their ballots. The case comes as 26 states and the District of Columbia already allow some form of third-party ballot return, while others are tightening rules amid Republican claims of mail-fraud risks.

The appeals hearing follows a September ruling by a Trump-appointed judge in Texas who sided with the former president’s allies, striking down a decades-old rule that permitted anyone to return a mail ballot for another voter in the state. Civil rights groups and a coalition of voters immediately appealed that decision, arguing it would block hundreds of thousands of ballots in last year’s midterms and this fall’s presidential race. On Tuesday, lawyers for the plaintiffs told the Fifth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that the Texas ruling, if upheld, would set a dangerous precedent nationwide, forcing other states to follow suit.

A ruling in favor of Trump’s allies could reshape vote-by-mail access just months before November’s election. While Republicans argue the restrictions prevent fraud, election officials from both parties warn that tighter rules increase the chance of lost or late ballots. The appeals court did not say when it would rule, but its decision could influence similar cases pending in Georgia, Pennsylvania and other key states. For now, the status quo remains in place, allowing voters to rely on trusted helpers to return their ballots—at least until the court acts.