Trump's Push to Change Mail-In Voting Rules Was Blocked. What Comes Next?

President Donald Trump tried to make big changes to mail-in voting rules right before the election, but the Supreme Court said no. The court's decision was a major setback for Trump, who had been pushing hard to reshape how Americans cast their ballots. Voting rights supporters and election officials were relieved by the ruling, but they warn the president is unlikely to give up his efforts to influence how the election is run.

Trump's team had already lost more than 20 court cases in which the Justice Department tried to gather large amounts of voter data. Whistleblowers — people who report wrongdoing from inside the government — have come forward with claims that officials broke the law to look at voter rolls. They also say there were rushed attempts to stop mail-in voting from going forward. These reports have added to concerns about what the president's team has been doing behind the scenes.

Election expert David Becker said Trump's behavior shows signs of panic. 'The president appears to be acting really desperate, panicking, about the upcoming election,' Becker told reporters. He explained that a president who felt confident about his party's chances would simply let the voting process happen without all the chaos. Becker leads the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a group that studies elections.

Some of Trump's allies are now calling on the president to declare a national emergency. Far-right commentator Wayne Allyn Root has pushed Trump to use emergency powers to force through his stalled 'SAVE America Act,' a plan to change voting rules. Root says there is 'no other choice' after losing at the Supreme Court. When Root asked Trump about it during a TV interview, Trump replied, 'Let me just say stranger things have happened — I'll leave it at that.'

Becker warned that sending troops or armed agents to polling places would be both illegal and damaging. He said such a move would try to 'create a perception of chaos that is false.' Courts would shut it down quickly, and Republicans would face serious political backlash, he added. 'Troops, armed men, agents, ICE, will not be at the polls. It will not happen,' Becker said firmly.

Just before the Supreme Court ruled, the Justice Department sent warning letters to at least 30 election officials around the country. The letters said those officials were 'currently under investigation' over election records. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also called for a federal investigation into Becker's own nonpartisan group of election experts. Becker strongly denied that his group had done anything wrong.

There are also reports that Homeland Security told immigration employees to secretly look up state voter rolls by pretending to be regular users of voter websites. The goal was to find noncitizens who might be illegally registered to vote, according to a whistleblower. The agency did not deny doing this, saying in a statement that the work was done 'diligently and professionally.' A spokesperson called it 'an easy step to secure our elections.'

Election lawyer Norm Eisen, who has joined more than 60 lawsuits against Trump's efforts to reverse his 2020 election loss, says voters should stay confident. He admits that Trump's constant attacks on voting could confuse people — even Trump's own supporters. 'Because Donald Trump is the president who cried wolf, the damage might be more profound to his own voters,' Eisen said. The phrase 'cried wolf' refers to someone who raises false alarms so often that people stop believing them.

Trump has also weakened two important government agencies that protect elections. He removed the remaining members of the Election Assistance Commission, a bipartisan group that helps election workers, just weeks before Election Day. He also cut resources from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, which protects elections from cyberattacks. Critics say these moves have left the country less prepared to run a safe and secure election.

Meanwhile, groups that support Trump have been training poll watchers to closely watch voting locations and challenge results they disagree with. These groups have built up a large team of people ready to take legal action after the votes are counted. Despite all of this activity, election officials and voting rights groups say American elections remain safe and fair. 'Voting is safe, free and fair — you can disregard these false claims and be confident that however you prefer to vote ... your vote will be safely cast, counted and certified,' Eisen said.