# Can this SCOTUS ruling on USPS discrimination affect mail-in voting? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 25, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969 "2026-02-25T18:48:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/1 "2026-02-25T18:48:33Z")
The Supreme Court just ruled that you cannot sue the USPS over otherwise illegal discrimination when it comes to mail delivery: [Court holds that U.S. Postal Service can’t be sued over intentionally misdelivered mail - SCOTUSblog](https://www.scotusblog.com/2026/02/court-holds-that-u-s-postal-service-cant-be-sued-over-intentionally-misdelivered-mail/). Does this mean that mail-in votes from suspected Democratic districts can also be misdirected? ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/2 "2026-02-25T18:50:52Z")
In a word: Yep. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/3 "2026-02-25T18:52:32Z")
It’s now legal for the US MAIL to mess with and your vote. They already made it so the postmark means nothing when it comes to ballots. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/4 "2026-02-25T18:58:23Z")
Yeah, it wouldn’t be hard for a MAGA mail worker to figure that, if he’s taking mail-in ballots from a heavily-blue neighborhood, that he can just dispose of them in the trash or shredder instead. Of course, he might still face criminal, not civil, penalties, but at least part of the penalty has been removed. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/5 "2026-02-25T18:59:47Z")
That’s assuming you receive your mail-in ballot in the first place. Most MAGA mail carriers can tell from the incoming mail you receive which way your politics leans. It would be nothing for them to just “lose” the ballots being sent out by the Elections Board to left-leaning voters. ---
**Author:** ![wolfpup](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpup/32/10618_2.png) [@wolfpup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfpup)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/6 "2026-02-25T19:05:00Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Does this mean that mail-in votes from suspected Democratic districts can also be misdirected? I believe it means that **this is the whole idea**. ETA: Ah, I see the narrow majority opinion was written by Clarence Thomas. No more need be said. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/7 "2026-02-25T20:27:49Z")
**Moderating:** Since this is about mail-in voting specifically, I think this is more P&E than GD, though the rules for both are identical. I’ll shove it over to the sister forum. In addition, we already have a P&E thread about the SCOTUS ruling that was started earlier: > [@US Supreme Court rules that Americans can't sue Postal Service for intentionally not delivering the mail](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/us-supreme-court-rules-that-americans-cant-sue-postal-service-for-intentionally-not-delivering-the-mail/1027960/2): > > And it’s not even the corporate body of the USPS that has to be the problem. From the story: She did so, the documents say, but the mail problems continued, despite the USPS inspector general instructing the mail to be delivered. The management of the USPS apparently didn’t even have the power to rein in a couple of rogue racist employees, who made the decision to stop delivering all on their own, and even resisted push back from their own bosses. So any employee, anywhere along the line c… For general discussion on the topic. For the moment, I’m not merging the threads, because this one, per the OP, is about possible ramifications for mail-in voting, a much more specific topic. If it’s general discussion, please use the thread mentioned above. Or, if @Czarcasm prefers, I can just merge the threads. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/8 "2026-02-25T20:30:55Z")
Since this thread is more about how the ruling can effect mail-in voting, I would like to keep this separate from the other P&E thread on the USPS ruling. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/9 "2026-02-25T20:51:24Z")
and note that the new USPS head is a Trump appointee–does that say anything? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/10 "2026-02-25T20:52:23Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Of course, he might still face criminal, not civil, penalties {…} Pretty sure the criminal charges would be Federal, thus making it (basically) entirely at Pam Bondi’s discretion as to whether or not to investigate and charge. Why doesn’t that provide me any comfort? Huh. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/11 "2026-02-25T20:58:10Z")
Could a jurisdiction allow the voter a choice to return ballot via FedEx or UPS? ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/12 "2026-02-25T21:23:16Z")
Many do already. The election department is just a street address of a building. But USPS can compleyely and selectively prevent delivery of blank ballots to voters. You can’t FedEx back what you never received. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/13 "2026-02-25T21:29:27Z")
In my county, the Elections Board publishes a schedule of when ballots will be mailed to voters, along with a lot of other pertinent information. Going forward, I’ll keep an eye on that very closely. If I don’t receive a ballot within a reasonable amount of time from that published date of mailing, I’ll go get one in person. I will continue to drop my completed ballots at a designated ballot box within my county, in person. I will also continue to verify it has been received and counted. I will never trust the USPS with election materials again. I don’t think anyone else should, either. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/14 "2026-02-25T21:59:19Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I will continue to drop my completed ballots at a designated ballot box within my county, in person. I will also continue to verify it has been received and counted. > > I will never trust the USPS with election materials again. I don’t think anyone else should, either. Agreed. As I’ve stated in several threads, I’m in Colorado with all-mail options. And up until now, I’ve always used the secure drop-off out of an abundance of caution, though my worries were more about at least two households in my general area rather then the mail service. Now? Between this ruling, and Trump’s proven willingness to break the law and encourage others to do so, it’s no longer caution but prudence talking. ---
**Author:** ![Aspenglow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aspenglow/32/76_2.png) [@Aspenglow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aspenglow)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/15 "2026-02-25T22:05:35Z")
And notice that SCOTUS made sure to get this horrendous, bad ruling done in time for the mid-terms. It’s as deliberate as it gets. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/16 "2026-02-25T22:11:34Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Of course, he might still face criminal, not civil, penalties, but at least part of the penalty has been removed. Let’s not forget, that the USPS has its own police force. Only they have jurisdiction over postal crimes. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/17 "2026-02-25T22:43:03Z")
I think it’s a tad more complicated than that (I’m improving on my own prior response, here, too): > [@](#): > > Once an investigation is underway, Postal Inspectors present the case to prosecutors from the U.S. Attorney’s Office and local prosecutors. Throughout the prosecution, Postal Inspectors and other Postal Inspection Service employees can be called to provide testimony and explain their findings, process, and conclusions. [**SOURCE**](https://www.uspis.gov/about/how-we-do-it) ETA: a bit more: > The Department of Justice (DOJ) Mail Fraud Team is composed of experienced Postal Inspectors and contract fraud analysts stationed full-time at the DOJ Criminal Fraud Section in Washington, DC. Since its creation in March 2005, the team has successfully investigated and assisted in the prosecution of complex corporate fraud cases. Team members conduct high-priority domestic and international consumer and mail fraud investigations and work closely with their law enforcement counterparts in the U.S. and abroad. In FY 2007, the DOJ Mail Fraud Team received the Assistant Attorney General’s Outstanding Law Enforcement Partnership Award. [**SOURCE**](https://about.usps.com/publications/pub278/welcome.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/18 "2026-02-25T22:50:26Z")
Is any of this from the post-Trump era? ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2026, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/19 "2026-02-25T22:58:04Z")
From a quick look, I’d say no. But – to state the obvious – when they’re in charge, then – as some do with attorneys in all facets of life – you don’t have to insist that your people obey, or hew to, the laws. They can, instead, be tasked with understanding and circumventing those laws. As in the Alternate Slate of Electors scheme. ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2026, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969/20 "2026-02-26T01:30:00Z")
> [@Aspenglow](#): > > I will continue to drop my completed ballots at a designated ballot box within my county, in person. I will also continue to verify it has been received and counted. In NY, you can also vote early in person. For those who can do so, that seems to me to now be the way to go: no concerns about the mail, but less worry that you might not be able to get there on the day, as there are several days to choose from. Won’t help in a mail-only state, of course (though I gather drop off options may be available) or if you can’t get to the early polling place. Or if your state doesn’t do early in-person voting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-this-scotus-ruling-on-usps-discrimination-affect-mail-in-voting/1027969.md?page=2)