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    Home»Politics & Opinion»US Politics»U.S. Postal Service issues new rule for mail ballots, but its impact on the midterms is uncertain
    US Politics

    U.S. Postal Service issues new rule for mail ballots, but its impact on the midterms is uncertain

    News DeskBy News DeskAugust 24, 2026No Comments8 Mins Read
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    U.S. Postal Service issues new rule for mail ballots, but its impact on the midterms is uncertain
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    ‘
    );
    }

    function setButtonState(button, state) {
    const hint = button.parentElement && button.parentElement.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-hint]’);
    const followLabel = button.dataset.followLabel || ‘Follow’;
    const followingLabel = button.dataset.followingLabel || ‘Following’;
    const registerLabel = button.dataset.registerLabel || ‘Register to follow’;
    const loadingLabel = button.dataset.loadingLabel || ‘Saving…’;
    const pendingAuthLabel = button.dataset.pendingAuthLabel || ‘Loading…’;
    button.classList.remove(‘is-following’, ‘is-loading’, ‘is-auth-required’);

    if (state === ‘loading’) {
    button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
    button.disabled = true;
    button.textContent = loadingLabel;
    if (hint) {
    hint.textContent=”Updating your followed authors…”;
    }
    return;
    }

    if (state === ‘pending-auth’) {
    button.classList.add(‘is-loading’);
    button.disabled = true;
    button.textContent = pendingAuthLabel;
    if (hint) {
    hint.textContent=”Checking your sign-in status…”;
    }
    return;
    }

    button.disabled = false;

    if (state === ‘following’) {
    button.classList.add(‘is-following’);
    button.textContent = followingLabel;
    if (hint) {
    hint.textContent = followingLabel === ‘Unfollow’
    ? ‘Remove this writer from your followed list.’
    : ‘Click again to unfollow.’;
    }
    return;
    }

    if (state === ‘signin’) {
    button.classList.add(‘is-auth-required’);
    button.textContent = registerLabel;
    if (hint) {
    hint.textContent=”Register to follow writers and manage your list.”;
    }
    return;
    }

    button.textContent = followLabel;
    if (hint) {
    hint.textContent=”Click to follow.”;
    }
    }

    function renderWidgets(scope) {
    const root = scope || document;
    root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
    const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
    if (!button) {
    return;
    }

    const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;
    const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();

    if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
    setButtonState(button, ‘pending-auth’);
    return;
    }

    if (!hasToken) {
    setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
    return;
    }

    if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
    setButtonState(button, ‘following’);
    } else {
    setButtonState(button, ‘follow’);
    }
    });
    }

    function renderManageList(container) {
    if (!container) {
    return;
    }

    const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();

    if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
    container.innerHTML = (
    ‘

    Checking your account status…

    ‘
    );
    return;
    }

    if (!hasToken) {
    container.innerHTML = (
    ‘

    Sign in to load the authors you follow. ‘ +
    ‘Sign in

    ‘
    );
    return;
    }

    const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());
    if (!followedAuthors.length) {
    container.innerHTML = (
    ‘

    You are not following any authors yet. ‘ +
    ‘Use the follow buttons on stories or staff pages to build your list.

    ‘
    );
    return;
    }

    container.innerHTML = followedAuthors
    .map(function (author) {
    return (
    ‘

    ‘ +
    ” +
    ‘

    ‘ +
    ‘‘ +
    ‘Remove this writer from your followed list.‘ +
    ‘

    ‘ +
    ‘

    ‘
    );
    })
    .join(”);

    bindEvents(container);
    renderWidgets(container);
    }

    async function refresh(scope, options) {
    const forceFetch = !!(options && options.force);

    if (!hasFollowWidgets(scope)) {
    return;
    }

    // Wipe the cached map BEFORE the first render so a user-switch can’t
    // momentarily display the previous user’s “Following” state.
    discardCacheIfTokenChanged();

    renderWidgets(scope);

    const manageContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’);
    const managePreferencesContainer = document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’);
    const hasToken = !!getBearerToken();

    if (!isPianoIdentityReady() && !hasToken) {
    renderWidgets(scope);
    renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
    renderManageList(manageContainer);
    return;
    }

    if (!hasToken) {
    renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
    renderManageList(manageContainer);
    return;
    }

    try {
    await loadFollowedAuthors(forceFetch);
    renderWidgets(scope);
    renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
    renderManageList(manageContainer);
    } catch (error) {
    console.warn(‘Unable to load followed authors.’, error);
    if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
    renderWidgets(scope);
    renderManagePreferences(managePreferencesContainer);
    renderManageList(manageContainer);
    }
    }
    }

    function startLoginPoll() {
    if (loginPoll) {
    clearInterval(loginPoll);
    }

    let attempts = 0;
    loginPoll = setInterval(function () {
    attempts += 1;
    if (getBearerToken() || isLoggedIn() || attempts > 25) {
    clearInterval(loginPoll);
    loginPoll = null;
    refresh(document, { force: true });
    }
    }, 1000);
    }

    function stopPianoReadyPoll() {
    if (pianoReadyPoll) {
    clearInterval(pianoReadyPoll);
    pianoReadyPoll = null;
    }
    }

    function startPianoReadyPoll() {
    stopPianoReadyPoll();

    let attempts = 0;
    pianoReadyPoll = setInterval(function () {
    attempts += 1;
    if (isPianoIdentityReady() || getBearerToken() || attempts > 40) {
    stopPianoReadyPoll();
    // Non-forced: if bindPianoInitRefresh already fetched, the TTL
    // dedupes this call. If it lost the race, this call wins.
    refresh(document);
    }
    }, 500);
    }

    function bindPianoInitRefresh() {
    if (pianoInitBound) {
    return;
    }

    pianoInitBound = whenPianoReady(function () {
    // The Piano init callback is the canonical “identity is ready” signal;
    // cancel the fallback poll so it can’t issue a redundant second fetch.
    stopPianoReadyPoll();
    refresh(document, { force: true });
    });
    }

    async function handleWidgetClick(widget, button) {
    const staffId = widget.dataset.staffId;

    if (!getBearerToken()) {
    setButtonState(button, isPianoIdentityReady() ? ‘signin’ : ‘pending-auth’);
    if (typeof window.showPianoRegister === ‘function’) {
    window.showPianoRegister();
    startLoginPoll();
    }
    return;
    }

    // If the identity changed since the cache was last filled, drop the stale
    // map before the follow/unfollow decision below — otherwise the click
    // could issue the wrong action against the previous user’s state.
    discardCacheIfTokenChanged();

    setButtonState(button, ‘loading’);

    try {
    if (followedAuthorsMap.has(String(staffId))) {
    await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, { method: ‘DELETE’ });
    followedAuthorsMap.delete(String(staffId));
    removePushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
    } else {
    const author = await apiRequest(apiBaseUrl + “https://www.washingtontimes.com/” + staffId, {
    method: ‘PUT’,
    body: JSON.stringify({
    push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
    email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
    }),
    });
    followedAuthorsMap.set(String(staffId), author);
    appendPushlyFollowedAuthorId(staffId);
    }

    saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(
    deriveFollowDeliveryPreferences(Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values())),
    );
    syncPushlyFollowedAuthorsProfile();
    renderManagePreferences(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’));
    renderWidgets(document);
    renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
    } catch (error) {
    console.warn(‘Unable to update followed author.’, error);
    if (error && error.code === ‘AUTH_REQUIRED’) {
    setButtonState(button, ‘signin’);
    }
    renderWidgets(document);
    }
    }

    function bindEvents(scope) {
    const root = scope || document;
    root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-widget]’).forEach(function (widget) {
    if (widget.dataset.followWidgetBound === ‘true’) {
    return;
    }
    widget.dataset.followWidgetBound = ‘true’;

    const button = widget.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-button]’);
    if (!button) {
    return;
    }

    button.addEventListener(‘click’, function () {
    handleWidgetClick(widget, button);
    });
    });

    root.querySelectorAll(‘[data-author-follow-manage-preferences]’).forEach(function (container) {
    if (container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound === ‘true’) {
    return;
    }
    container.dataset.followGlobalPreferencesBound = ‘true’;

    async function handlePreferenceChange() {
    const pushInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”push”]’);
    const emailInput = container.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref=”email”]’);
    if (!pushInput || !emailInput) {
    return;
    }

    const previousPreferences = {
    push_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.push_enabled,
    email_fallback_enabled: followDeliveryPreferences.email_fallback_enabled,
    };
    const payload = {
    push_enabled: !!pushInput.checked,
    email_fallback_enabled: !!emailInput.checked,
    };
    // Drop a stale map if the identity changed before iterating — we
    // don’t want to issue follow updates against the previous user’s
    // authors with the current user’s bearer token.
    discardCacheIfTokenChanged();
    const followedAuthors = Array.from(followedAuthorsMap.values());

    saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(payload);
    managePreferencesPending = true;
    pushInput.disabled = true;
    emailInput.disabled = true;

    try {
    await Promise.all(
    followedAuthors.map(function (author) {
    return updateFollowPreferences(author.id, payload);
    }),
    );
    renderManagePreferences(container);
    renderWidgets(document);
    renderManageList(document.querySelector(‘[data-author-follow-manage-list]’));
    } catch (error) {
    console.warn(‘Unable to update author follow preferences.’, error);
    saveStoredFollowDeliveryPreferences(previousPreferences);
    pushInput.checked = previousPreferences.push_enabled;
    emailInput.checked = previousPreferences.email_fallback_enabled;
    } finally {
    managePreferencesPending = false;
    pushInput.disabled = false;
    emailInput.disabled = false;
    }
    }

    container.addEventListener(‘change’, function (event) {
    const target = event.target;
    if (!target || !target.matches(‘[data-author-follow-global-pref]’)) {
    return;
    }
    handlePreferenceChange();
    });
    });
    }

    function init(scope) {
    const root = scope || document;
    if (!hasFollowWidgets(root)) {
    return;
    }
    bindEvents(root);
    renderWidgets(root);
    bindPianoInitRefresh();
    startPianoReadyPoll();
    refresh(root);
    }

    window.WTAuthorFollow = {
    init: init,
    refresh: refresh,
    };

    document.addEventListener(‘DOMContentLoaded’, function () {
    init(document);
    });

    window.addEventListener(‘focus’, function () {
    if (hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
    refresh(document);
    }
    });
    document.addEventListener(‘visibilitychange’, function () {
    if (!document.hidden && hasFollowWidgets(document)) {
    refresh(document);
    }
    });
    } else {
    window.WTAuthorFollow.init(document);
    }
    })();


    Delivery vans bearing the logo sit during a protest staged as part of a countrywide National Day of Action Tuesday, July 28, 2026, outside the main United States Postal Service headquarters in northeast Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)


    Delivery vans bearing the logo sit …

    more >

    By Nicholas Riccardi

    –

    Associated Press
    –

    Monday, August 24, 2026


    The U.S. Postal Service unveiled new requirements for mail ballots less than two weeks before some states begin sending them and in time for the conservative majority of the Supreme Court to clear the way for President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting the method to be used in November’s elections.

    The provisions are still subject to additional legal challenges and may not go into effect in time to meet the tight deadline to change procedures for the midterm elections. They would forbid the Postal Service from sending mail ballots from any state that does not comply with Trump’s order and would require an overhaul of the envelopes containing the ballots.

    Despite the high court’s initial clearance of the order, it did not decide on the constitutionality of the new regulation- only on whether the challenge was premature when Democratic-controlled states persuaded a federal judge in Boston to suspend them in June. A second ruling from the same judge would prevent the Postal Service from implementing any procedural changes before this year’s midterms and would likely need to be nullified, as well.

    Time is running out for the administration to make any changes in the nation’s voting procedures. The first mail ballots are required to be sent to military and overseas voters from North Carolina on Sept. 4. At that point, it would be virtually impossible for all states to alter the formatting of their mail ballots to comply with Trump’s directive. The Postal Service rule also requires states to submit voter lists in order to get their mail ballots delivered.

    The Postal Service said it could not comment on its rule given the litigation.

    Lawyers from Democratic-run states and civil rights groups who sued to block the order argued that Trump doesn’t have the authority to change election regulations in states. The U.S. Constitution vests that power in the states or Congress, which has been unable to pass Trump’s desired election changes.

    The Trump administration appealed to the Supreme Court last month to let it move forward with the executive order, which calls for the federal government to compile a list of eligible voters and send mail ballots only to those on the list.

    Copyright © 2026 The Washington Times, LLC.

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