McLean County election officials can proceed with mailing regular vote-by-mail ballots next week without changing their previously printed envelopes, following a U.S. Supreme Court decision involving new Postal Service election-mail requirements.
The court on Monday declined to stay a federal district court injunction blocking the mandatory provisions of the new USPS rules for the 2026 general election. The decision means the rules do not have to be followed for this election.
McLean County Clerk Kathy Michael shared the decision with county officials and local organizations Tuesday, saying regular vote-by-mail ballots can be mailed next week without last-minute changes. The county’s schedule for ballots sent to military and overseas voters, known as UOCAVA ballots, remains unchanged.
The ruling effects election officials nationwide, including those in Illinois. The new USPS rule would have required states to use specially designed ballot envelopes featuring an election-mail logo, high-speed scanning capability and a unique voter barcode. States also would have been required to submit envelope designs for Postal Service review and upload basic voter information to a USPS portal. Noncompliant mailings could have been rejected and returned to the states.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul joined a coalition of 25 states in challenging the rule. The coalition argued the requirements could disrupt state vote-by-mail systems and interfere with states’ authority to administer elections. A federal judge in Massachusetts issued a preliminary injunction Sept. 4 blocking the rule.
In its Sept. 14 order, the Supreme Court denied the federal government’s request to suspend that injunction. Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a concurring opinion, said the Postal Service may have statutory authority to issue the rule but that applying it to the 2026 elections would be arbitrary and capricious because state and local officials did not have sufficient time to implement it. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.
The underlying lawsuit will continue, and the applicable law is expected to be settled before the 2028 general primary election, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections and McLean County Clerk’s Office.
For McLean County voters, the county’s published election schedule lists Sept. 24 as the first day election authorities may mail vote-by-mail ballots for the Nov. 3 general election. The county has two election authorities: the County Clerk’s Office handles elections throughout the county except the City of Bloomington, which is served by the Bloomington Election Commission.
Voters with questions about vote-by-mail applications or ballots can contact the McLean County Clerk’s Election Division at 309-888-5191.
