Trump pushes bid to end mail-in voting

Trump says he will sign an executive order to end mail-in ballots, a move critics say faces legal and practical hurdles.

Trump aims to end mail-in voting before 2026 midterms

President Trump said on Monday he plans to end mail-in ballots and that an executive order is being drafted to do so before the 2026 midterm elections. He claimed the order would be written by top lawyers and enforced to bring what he calls honesty to elections. The move would challenge how states run elections, since the Constitution gives states the primary role in regulating voting.

The plan faces steep legal obstacles. Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution vests election regulation in states, and changing that balance would require Congress or a court ruling. Politicians and election experts note that mail-in voting remains a common method in the United States; in 2024 roughly one in three ballots were cast by mail, and the practice was even more prevalent in 2020. Critics also point to the broader reality that many other democracies allow mail voting, which challenges the idea that the United States is unique in needing to avoid it.

The discussion intersects with other recent statements from Trump, including remarks about his meeting with Zelenskyy and a broader stance on election rules. Supporters argue the policy would curb fraud and increase integrity, while skeptics caution that banning mail-in voting could disenfranchise voters who rely on it for accessibility and safety. Experts such as Debra Cleaver and Christopher Krebs have argued that mail voting has safeguards and that the 2020 vote was among the most secure in U.S. history.

The proposal tests the limits of executive power and highlights the political use of election rules as a campaigning tool. It also raises questions about how quickly the law would adapt to a new framework if tried in practice. The debate shows how trust in elections remains fragile when unaudited claims about fraud echo through party lines.

If courts and lawmakers push back, the plan could become a political spectacle rather than a workable policy. For voters who depend on mail ballots, the push signals uncertainty and potential disruption at the start of the election cycle. In the long run, the push is a reminder that election access and security are deeply entangled with questions of power and legitimacy.

Highlights

Watching how this unfolds will reveal who controls the rules that govern democracy