Trump Mail-In Voting Executive Order: Federal Judge Declines to Block Same-Day Registration Restrictions

# Trump Mail-In Voting Executive Order: Federal Judge Declines to Block Same-Day Registration Restrictions

> **Quick answer:** On May 28, 2026, Judge Carl Nichols — a Trump appointee — refused to immediately block Trump's executive order restricting mail-in voting and eliminating same-day voter registration. His reasoning: agencies haven't implemented the order yet, so plaintiffs can't prove harm. But he left the door wide open for future intervention — and a Boston court ruling is expected by early June.

A federal judge's decision not to block Trump's mail-in voting executive order landed Wednesday, and it set off a wave of reactions from voting rights advocates, Republican officials, and legal scholars alike. The ruling does not mean the order is constitutional or permanent — it means the legal fight is just beginning, and the 2026 midterms are now the clock everyone is racing against.

## What Trump's Voting Executive Order Actually Says

Trump signed the executive order in late March 2026, after Congress failed to pass the SAVE Act — his legislative push to overhaul federal election rules. Blocked legislatively, the administration turned to executive action.

The order has three core provisions: