North Carolina begins sending mail-in ballots as the administration seeks Supreme Court approval for new federal rules

The administration's plan includes a rule barring the postal service from delivering ballots in states that do not share voter data with the federal government and requiring ballot envelopes to be screened against new standards before delivery. US Solicitor General D John Sauer told the justices that a lower court's freeze on the plan was causing serious irreparable harm to the government, states, and voters. The plan originated from an executive order signed by President Trump in March, which directed agencies to compile citizen lists for use in screening mail ballots. While a federal judge in Massachusetts blocked the plan in June, the Supreme Court's conservative majority sided with Trump in August but called the challenge premature. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has not yet granted the administration's request for an immediate stay, giving challengers until Tuesday to respond. A postal service official told the court that the agency is still refining its screening system and expects to make it available to states on a voluntary basis next week.