Your Ballot, Your Right
Good Trouble Dispatch
What’s Happening to Mail-In Voting — and What You Can Do About It
A Good Trouble Circle Dispatch | Queen Anne’s County, Maryland
If you vote by mail in Queen Anne’s County, you’ve probably heard something about the President trying to change the rules. Maybe it sounded confusing. Maybe it sounded scary. This is what’s really going on, written in plain English, so you can make up your own mind and know what to do next.
The Short Version
President Trump has tried for years to make it harder to vote by mail. This year, he signed an order telling the U.S. Postal Service to control who gets a mail ballot and who doesn’t. Twenty-four states, including Maryland, sued to stop him. On June 25, 2026, a federal judge agreed with them and blocked the order — for now. The fight isn’t over, and every voter needs to understand what’s at stake before November.
How We Got Here
Think of this as a story with three chapters.
Chapter One: 2020
Since the 2020 election, President Trump has claimed — without real evidence — that mail-in voting leads to fraud. Studies and election officials from both parties have found voting by mail is safe and secure. Even the President has used a mail ballot himself. Still, he has said many times that he wants to get rid of mail-in voting altogether.
Chapter Two: 2025
In March 2025, President Trump signed his first executive order on elections. It tried to require voters to prove their citizenship with special documents just to register, and it tried to throw out mail ballots that arrived a few days after Election Day, even if they were mailed on time. Courts blocked the major parts of that order. Judges across the political spectrum agreed: the President does not have the power to rewrite election rules. The Constitution gives that power to the states and to Congress, not to the White House.
Chapter Three: 2026
On March 31, 2026, the President tried again. His new order directed the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to build a list of every adult citizen in the country. It also told the U.S. Postal Service to build its own list and to refuse to deliver mail ballots to anyone not on it. The order even threatened criminal charges against election officials and mail carriers who didn’t go along.
Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown joined 23 other states, the District of Columbia, and the Governor of Pennsylvania in suing to stop it. Their argument was simple: nowhere does the Constitution or any law give the President or the Postal Service the power to decide who gets to vote by mail. That power belongs to the states.
Why the Postal Service Didn’t Wait
Normally, when something is being fought over in court, you’d expect everyone to pause and wait for a ruling. That’s not what happened here. While the lawsuits were moving through the courts, the Postal Service published a 20-page set of proposed rules that would have required every state to hand over lists of mail voters before any ballots could be sent. If a voter’s name wasn’t on the list — or if there was a paperwork mismatch — their ballot simply would not have been delivered.
Former election officials from both parties warned that rolling out a brand-new national voter list, with no extra funding and almost no time to prepare, would create exactly the kind of chaos and voter confusion that erodes trust in elections. Forty-seven U.S. Senators sent a letter to the Postal Service in June asking it to stand down. The Postal Service kept moving forward anyway.
Where Things Stand Right Now
On June 25, 2026, U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani ruled in favor of the 24 states and DC. Here’s what that means in plain terms:
- The Postal Service cannot block or refuse to deliver mail ballots in Maryland and 23 other states for any election through November 3, 2026.
- The federal government cannot build a centralized list to control who is allowed to vote by mail in those states.
- This protection covers Maryland — and therefore Queen Anne’s County — for this year’s elections.
- The ruling does not cover future elections beyond 2026, and the Trump administration has said it plans to appeal.
In other words: this year’s mail ballots in Maryland are protected by this ruling. But the underlying fight over who controls American elections is far from finished.
What You Can Do
Good Trouble Circle exists because John Lewis taught us that ordinary people, working together, protect their own democracy. Here is how you can help protect yours.
- Plan to vote, and pick your method early. If you want to vote by mail this fall, request your ballot as soon as Maryland opens that window for the general election. Don’t wait until the last minute — the earlier your request is in, the fewer chances for a problem.
- Track your ballot. Maryland lets you track your mail ballot online through the State Board of Elections. If you request one and it doesn’t arrive, or it doesn’t show as received after you return it, call your local Board of Elections right away.
- Know who to call. The Queen Anne’s County Board of Elections can answer questions about your registration, your ballot, or your polling place: 410-758-0832. If you ever feel your right to vote is being blocked or threatened, the national, nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline is 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
- Stay informed, not overwhelmed. This story will keep changing between now and November. Good Trouble Circle will keep tracking it and putting out updates in plain language, so you don’t have to read legal filings to understand what it means for you.
- Get involved with GTC’s election protection work. We are building out Know Your Rights materials and volunteer teams for the General Election. If you want to help your neighbors understand and protect their right to vote, reach out through goodtroublecircle.org.
- Make your voice heard. You can contact your members of Congress and Maryland’s Attorney General’s office to say you support the lawsuits protecting Maryland’s mail voting system. Public pressure has already made a difference once — 47 U.S. Senators spoke up in June.
The Bottom Line
For now, the courts have sided with Maryland and 23 other states: the President and the Postal Service cannot decide who gets to vote by mail. That is good news for this year’s elections. But this is the third time in two years the administration has tried to limit mail voting, and it likely won’t be the last. The people who show up, stay informed, and use their voice are the ones who keep that door open.
Congressman John Lewis got into a lot of “good trouble” to make sure every American could vote. Staying informed and showing up is how we carry that forward.
In Good Trouble,
Good Trouble Circle
goodtroublecircle.org
