Supreme Court Election Executive Order Decision: What to Know

Shared from Matt Crane, Executive Director of the Colorado County Clerks Association, on August 25, 2026. The CCCA’s official statement is here.

The U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision on August 24 involving President Trump’s executive order on federal elections.

In March 2026, President Trump issued an executive order directing federal agencies to take a number of actions related to federal elections.

Two separate lawsuits challenged the executive order. The first was brought by a group of states, including Colorado, and challenged several parts of the order. The second was brought by the League of Women Voters and other voting-rights organizations and focuses specifically on the USPS and mail-ballot provisions.

The most important takeaway for Colorado clerks and voters is simple: Nothing changes for election administration today.

What was the case about?

The group of states sued over three parts of the executive order:

• plans for federal agencies to create and share citizenship information with states;

• increased federal investigation and enforcement related to ballots issued to people who are not eligible to vote; and

• new USPS requirements for mail ballots, including ballot envelopes, barcodes, and information states would need to provide to USPS.

A federal court had temporarily blocked those parts of the executive order from being implemented.

What did the Supreme Court do?

The Supreme Court temporarily lifted that court order while the case continues.

The Court did not decide whether the executive order is legal. It did not say the federal government has the authority to make these changes.

The Court's decision was based largely on timing. It found that, when the states filed their lawsuit, many of the federal agencies had not yet finalized their plans or put new requirements into place.

What does this mean for clerks and voters?

Nothing changes right now.

There is a second, separate lawsuit involving the USPS requirements for mail ballots brought by the League of Women Voters and other voting organizations. In that case, a separate federal court order is still in place blocking USPS from implementing its new requirements for the 2026 election.

That means there is currently no requirement for Colorado clerks to:

• change ballot envelopes;

• change how ballots are mailed;

• submit voter information through the new USPS Federal Ballot Mail Portal; or

• change other current election procedures.

What happens next?

The legal challenges are not over.

The federal government may continue trying to lift the remaining court order blocking the USPS requirements. There may also be additional lawsuits now that USPS has issued a final rule.

Bottom line

One court order was lifted. A separate court order remains in place that prevents USPS from implementing the new mail-ballot requirements for the 2026 election.

For Colorado clerks, the immediate message is simple: continue preparing for the 2026 General Election under existing Colorado law and procedures. No operational changes are required as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision.

For voters: rest assured that County Clerks will work endlessly to administer elections that are fair, accessible, and secure. Clerks will follow the law and always fight to protect voters' right to cast their ballot.

The CCCA will continue monitoring the litigation, the USPS rule, and any additional federal actions and will provide updates if anything changes that affects election administration.

For additional context, please read CCCA President Carly Koppes’ statement on the Supreme Court decision.