President Donald Trump has reignited his battle against mail-in voting, pledging to lead what he calls a "movement" to eliminate the practice and to ban the use of what he describes as "seriously controversial" voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The announcement, made on August 18, 2025, through a series of posts on his Truth Social platform and later reiterated to reporters at the White House, signals a dramatic escalation in his long-standing campaign to overhaul American election procedures.
In his Truth Social post, Trump declared, "I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we’re at it, Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election." He further claimed, "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS. I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS."
Trump’s renewed focus on mail-in ballots and voting machines comes as the nation looks toward the 2026 midterms, which will serve as the first major referendum on his domestic and foreign policies since returning to the White House in January. According to Reuters, the president stated that an executive order to eliminate mail-in voting was "being written right now," and he warned that states would be expected to comply with the forthcoming federal directive. "Remember, the States are merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes. They must do what the Federal Government, as represented by the President of the United States, tells them, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY, to do," Trump asserted.
However, legal experts and constitutional scholars have swiftly challenged the president's authority to impose such sweeping changes. As reported by Reuters, Professor Richard Pildes of New York University Law School emphasized, "The President has no power constitutionally to dictate to states the manner in which they conduct national elections." The U.S. Constitution delegates the administration of federal elections to the states, with Congress holding the authority to alter those regulations—not the executive branch.
Trump’s animosity toward mail-in voting dates back years, intensifying after his defeat in the 2020 presidential race—a loss he has repeatedly and baselessly attributed to widespread voter fraud facilitated by expanded mail-in balloting during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite these claims, a 2021 University of Chicago study found "no evidence of systemic voter fraud" in the 2020 election, and a 2020 report by the American Statistical Association concluded there is "no evidence that voting by mail increases the risk of voter fraud overall." The Washington Post also found just 372 potential cases of voter fraud out of 14.6 million mail-in ballots cast in three states during 2016 and 2018.
Ironically, Trump himself voted by mail as recently as 2020 in Florida, as NPR and other outlets have noted. Yet, in his latest pronouncements, he doubled down on the assertion that mail-in ballots are a "HOAX" and that Democrats would "strongly oppose" his efforts because, in his words, "they cheat at levels never seen before." The president also linked election integrity to national security, stating, "WITHOUT FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS, AND STRONG AND POWERFUL BORDERS, YOU DON’T HAVE EVEN A SEMBLANCE OF A COUNTRY."
Trump’s argument that the U.S. is unique in using mail-in voting—and that other countries abandoned the practice due to fraud—does not hold up to scrutiny. According to a 2020 Pew Research Center report cited by McClatchy, about 40 countries, including Canada, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Australia, and the U.K., permit some form of mail-in voting. While France banned postal ballots in 1975 over fraud concerns in Corsica, the practice remains widespread and has even expanded in many countries since the pandemic, as reported by the Electoral Integrity Project. In the U.S., every state offers some form of absentee or mail-in option, per the National Conference of State Legislatures.
The political stakes are high. Historically, Democrats have been more likely to vote by mail, while Republicans have favored in-person voting. The pandemic upended these patterns, with mail-in voting surging to 43% of all ballots in 2020 before dropping to about 30% in the 2024 election, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Despite Trump’s rhetoric, the Republican National Committee (RNC) launched a "Bank Your Vote" campaign in 2024 to encourage GOP voters to utilize early and mail-in voting options—a pragmatic shift aimed at maximizing turnout across all methods.
Trump’s crusade against voting machines is also not new. He has repeatedly called for a return to paper ballots, specifically touting "accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper" as a superior alternative. He claims voting machines are "Highly Inaccurate," "Very Expensive," and "Seriously Controversial." In reality, as Reuters points out, election officials warn that hand-counting paper ballots is far more time-consuming, costly, and potentially less accurate than machine tabulation. Meanwhile, voting machine companies have pursued lawsuits in the wake of the 2020 election, seeking to defend their reputations against unsubstantiated claims of malfunction or manipulation.
Trump’s latest pledge comes amid broader Republican efforts to reshape the electoral landscape. In Texas and other GOP-led states, lawmakers are considering redrawing congressional districts to bolster Republican prospects in the 2026 House elections. The president, according to Politico, has urged Republicans to "get smart" and support his agenda, warning that "we’re not going to have a country" if they fail to act decisively.
The White House has also weighed in. Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, stated, "President Trump wants to secure America’s elections and protect the vote, restoring the integrity of our elections by requiring voter ID, ensuring no illegal ballots are cast, and preventing cheating through lax and incompetent voting laws in states like California and New York."
Yet, as the legal battles loom and the 2026 midterms approach, the future of mail-in voting and election technology in the United States remains uncertain. While Trump’s executive order is reportedly in the works, any attempt to force states to comply is expected to face immediate and formidable legal challenges. For now, the debate over how Americans cast their ballots—and who gets to decide the rules—shows no sign of abating.
With the president’s latest move, the stage is set for a contentious and closely watched fight over the future of American democracy, one that could reshape not only the mechanics of voting but also the very nature of political competition in the years to come.
