Election officials across the U.S. are scrambling as a federal judge blocks a new Postal Service rule that would require unique barcodes on mail ballots. In Madison, Wis., officials mailed 18,000 ballots early, while Weber County, Utah, considers bypassing the mail with distribution centers. The rule, challenged by 24 states, would let the Postal Service reject non-compliant ballots, raising fears of disenfranchisement.

Philadelphia's Lisa Deeley called it "chaos," and UCLA's Richard Hasen warned it "would be massively disenfranchising." The Supreme Court may intervene, but officials lack guidance as Election Day nears.