Lansing City Clerk Chris Swope said the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to block new mail-ballot restrictions removed what would have been an impossible burden on his office weeks before the November election.

"I really believe that that order would have been impossible to implement for this election," Swope told WILX.

The court on Monday, Sept. 14, rejected the Trump administration's emergency request to enforce new U.S. Postal Service (USPS) requirements for mail and absentee ballots ahead of the Nov. 3 midterm election. The ruling left in place a federal judge's injunction that had halted the rules. Michigan was among 25 states that sued the USPS over the requirements, which would have forced states to use approved envelopes with specific barcodes to track individual ballots.

Swope said Lansing had already sent voter data to have names and addresses printed on ballot envelopes before the court acted.

The new requirements would have upended that work.

His office has fielded dozens of calls and messages from residents worried about whether their ballots would count, Swope said. Staff have also processed more than 600 paper voter registration forms, a figure WILX described as remarkably high for a non-presidential midterm cycle.

Swope estimates 40% to 60% of Lansing ballots in the November election will arrive by mail or drop box. In the 2024 general election, 39% of Michigan voters cast ballots by mail, according to the Detroit Free Press.

Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel said she was "profoundly relieved" the court backed the state's voters and clerks. U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the administration's push, saying officials want to ensure each eligible voter casts one ballot.

Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented. Justice Brett Kavanaugh agreed the restrictions should stay blocked for 2026 but wrote that the broader legal fight may not be over.

Absentee ballots are available to Michigan voters starting Thursday, Sept. 24, according to the Michigan Department of State. Monday, Oct. 19, is the last day to register to vote by mail or online.

Early voting runs from Saturday, Oct. 24, through Sunday, Nov. 1, in most communities. Polls on Election Day are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Residents can update their voter registration at michigan.gov/vote until two weeks before the election; after that, changes must be made in person at the local clerk's office.