Essex County voters will start receiving mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 midterm election as scheduled, after the U.S. Supreme Court blocked a Trump administration effort to restrict absentee voting.

Essex County Clerk Christopher Durkin confirmed that ballots will begin going out Saturday, Sept. 19, according to Patch. Durkin released the update on the clerk's official Facebook page.

"The Supreme Court's decision provides much-needed certainty for voters and election officials as we prepare for the upcoming election," Durkin said.

The ruling came Tuesday, Sept. 15, when the court voted 7-2 to deny the administration's request to stay a district court injunction that had blocked a new U.S. Postal Service rule on mail-in ballots. Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented.

The case, USPS v. California, traces back to an executive order President Donald Trump signed in March. That order would have created a federal list of eligible voters in each state and barred the Postal Service from sending absentee ballots to anyone not on it. New Jersey joined a multi-state lawsuit challenging the order.

In August, the court had granted preliminary approval for the executive order in a separate case, Trump v. California, voiding one of two district court injunctions. That earlier ruling left the legal picture uncertain. As Patch reported Aug. 25, Durkin said at the time that his office would continue processing mail ballots "as per New Jersey state law" while the litigation played out.

The Sept. 15 ruling settled the question for this election cycle. The unsigned majority opinion stated that the government "is unlikely to succeed on the merits of its challenge to the District Court's preliminary injunction."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote a concurrence agreeing the rule cannot take effect this year. He said applying it for the 2026 elections would be "arbitrary and capricious in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act because state and local election officials do not have sufficient time to reasonably implement the rule before the elections." Kavanaugh left the door open for future elections, writing that "there is at least a fair prospect that the final rule falls within the Postal Service's statutory authority."

What voters need to know

New Jersey offers no-excuse absentee voting. Any registered voter can request a mail ballot without giving a reason, but must do so at least seven days before the election.

Completed ballots can be returned by mail, placed in a secure drop box or delivered to the county board of elections. They must be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Election Day and sincerely received by the board no later than six days after polls close.

Voters who do not receive their ballot by Oct. 9 can contact the clerk's office at 973-621-4922. Ballot status can be tracked at voter.svrs.nj.gov.

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3.