What’s behind the vote-by-mail controversy in the US?

Voters across the United States are set to take part in midterm elections on November 3.

But with two months left until polling day, a major legal battle is taking place that could throw the entire process into chaos.

Acting on election fraud concerns raised by President Donald Trump, the US Postal Service (USPS) is scrambling to take steps purportedly to ensure the security of mail-in ballots.

Roughly 48 million US voters cast their ballots through the mail, as of 2024. Critics have warned that restricting the process could disenfranchise groups who rely on mail-in voting ahead of the critical midterm vote.

In late August, however, the Supreme Court granted an emergency request to allow the Trump administration to proceed with its reforms.

That has injected uncertainty into the last-minute election preparations, with early voting slated to begin in some states as early as September.

On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal made public a whistleblower complaint he received detailing problems with the Postal Service’s plans to restrict mail-in voting.

“Their system is set up to fail – and risk the right to vote for millions of Americans who cast their ballots by mail,” Blumenthal said in a statement.