In June 2026, a claim circulated online that the U.S. Postal Service under President Donald Trump had proposed not delivering mail ballots to states that don't hand their voter lists to the federal government.
For example, on June 11, one Facebook page wrote (archived):
Under a newly proposed USPS rule flowing from trump's March 2026 executive order, states must submit lists of mail voters to the Postal Service 60 days before federal elections, or risk having their ballots go undelivered.
The rumor appeared on X (archived), Reddit (archived) and in other Facebook posts (archived). Snopes readers also searched our site and sent emails asking about various versions of the claim.
In short, the USPS did propose a rule change that would require a state to give the federal government lists of mail-in and absentee voters in exchange for the USPS delivering mail ballots to voters in the state. Therefore, we have rated this claim true.
The proposed rule is based on a March 31, 2026, executive order, but differs in some details, leading to some confusion over the content of the prospective policy.
It should be noted that the rule has not been finalized and the executive order is facing a legal challenge from two dozen states.
Below, we break down exactly what the proposed rule says.
USPS' proposed rule
On June 2, the USPS proposed a rule change to amend how it handles mail ballots. A proposed rule is open for public comment for 30 days after publishing. Afterwards, the proposing agency reads over the comments and publishes a finalized rule that addresses the comments. The rule can still be challenged in the courts even after it is finalized.
First, the rule would standardize mail ballot envelopes to include the official election mail logo, a unique barcode and automation compatibility.
The rule would then cover the "Mail-In and Absentee Participation List." The proposal says states would give the USPS a list of people they are sending mail ballots to, along with the unique barcode for those people. The states could then "add to or modify the list of enrollees until the last day that ballots may be mailed out to individuals under state law."
The proposal says "states would retain full control over who would (or would not) be able to vote by mail in federal elections within each state, as states would control enrollment with the Postal Service for inclusion on the state's Mail-In and Absentee Participation List." States would accomplish this, according to the proposal, by providing the USPS with the list of mail voters through a "Federal Ballot Mail Portal." T
However, the proposal also says the USPS would implement a "verification procedure for compliance with the proposed standards" that would include confirming the state submitted a list consistent with the proposed rule.
As stated above, this potential rule change is only a proposal as of June 2026. The rule will have to be finalized and survive legal challenges before it can be implemented.
Trump's prior executive order
Trump's March 31 executive order directed the USPS to propose this rule, albeit with slightly different wording.
The White House directed the USPS to "provide each State with a list of individuals (Mail-In and Absentee Participation List) who are enrolled with the USPS," as opposed to ordering that states provide the lists to the USPS.
The executive order did, however, direct the Department of Homeland Security to create a "State Citizenship List."
The order also said the Secretary of Homeland Security and the head of the USPS would coordinate "in effectuating all relevant aspects of the implementation of this order," although what exactly that would look like is not yet clear.
The proposed rule does not mention coordination with other federal agencies in creating, sharing or utilizing the voter lists. However, it makes a few mentions of "law enforcement," who could "compare the total number of mailed ballots to the total number of received ballots to detect potential issues meriting further investigation" using the USPS' data.
Legal challenges
There is at least one legal challenge attempting to stop the proposed rule from becoming finalized, and another legal challenge attempting to block the executive order that prompted the proposal.
On June 3, two law firms, working on behalf of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People civil rights organization, filed a court motion "to enforce a settlement agreement in which the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) committed to prioritizing the timely delivery of election mail, including mail-in ballots."
The groups say the proposed rule would violate this agreement by giving the USPS a "new gatekeeping function."
The motion asks the courts to prohibit the USPS from proceeding with the proposed rule, which, it says, is likely to disenfranchise voters in the upcoming midterm elections.
Finally, in April, 23 state attorneys general and one governor sued the federal government over the March executive order. The lawsuit argues that the executive order violates the separation of powers because the Constitution grants states the power to run elections, rather than the federal government or the president.