August 26 - Colorado Joins New Lawsuit to Fight Postal Service Rules Restricting Mail Ballots

Denver, August 26, 2026 - Today Colorado joined 23 other states and the District of Columbia in suing the United States Postal Service to stop the Postal Service from limiting who can receive a mail ballot. The lawsuit comes after the Postal Service formally adopted rules in accordance with President Trump's March 31, 2026 Executive Order.

The rules, which were adopted with immediate effect today, are currently enjoined by a court order in a separate lawsuit. In announcing the rules, the Postal Service said it would "not take actions to implement the rule specifically for the 2026 election unless and until the government obtains relief from those injunctions."

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold has issued the following statement:

Trump is trying to use the Postal Service to unlawfully limit which voters can receive mail ballots. He does not have the authority to change election rule or law. We will continue to fight against Trump's unlawful attempts to control elections. Coloradans - and all eligible Americans - will have their voices heard in the 2026 midterm election.

On Monday, August 24, the United States Supreme Court allowed parts of the President's Executive Order on mail ballots to proceed. In their decision, the Supreme Court noted that lower court decisions to halt parts of the Executive Order came too early because agencies - including the Postal Service - had not yet implemented the order, and no rules were in place to do so.

On August 20, the United States Postal Service published an advance copy of a final rule (PDF) related to the Executive Order on mail ballots. That publication noted that rules would be in immediate effect after publication on August 26, but would only apply to the 2026 General Election if court actions preventing implementation were lifted.

Executive Order 14399 is the second Executive Order issued directly related to election administration during Trump's second term. The President's first executive order on elections issued during his second term, which sought changes to voter registration requirements, has been largely enjoined.

There are currently 69 days until the midterm election.