President Donald Trump has reignited a fierce debate over the future of American elections, announcing on Monday his intention to eliminate both mail-in ballots and voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. The announcement, made through a series of posts on his personal social media platform and reiterated in a press conference, has sent shockwaves through the political landscape, drawing praise, criticism, and widespread scrutiny from across the spectrum.
Trump’s declaration came just days after a high-profile meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at a U.S. military base in Alaska. According to Trump, Putin told him that no other country in the world currently uses mail-in voting—a claim that Trump has since echoed repeatedly. "Vladimir Putin, smart guy, said you can’t have an honest election with mail-in voting," Trump told Fox News’ Sean Hannity. "He said there’s not a country in the world that uses it now."
In his Monday morning Truth Social post, Trump wrote, "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." He further argued that paper ballots are not only faster but also leave “NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election.” Trump’s stance is clear: he wants a return to what he describes as “accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper,” claiming that voting machines “cost Ten Times more” and are more prone to error and controversy.
The numbers, however, paint a more nuanced picture. According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, mail-in ballots made up 30.3% of turnout in the 2024 election. While this is a decline from the pandemic peak of 43% in 2020, it remains higher than pre-pandemic levels. Voting technology in the U.S. is also diverse: as of November 2024, 69.5% of voters used paper ballots, 25.6% used ballot marking devices (BMDs), and 4.9% used direct recording electronic (DRE) systems. BMDs, initially developed for accessibility, produce a paper record of voter selections, while DREs store votes digitally, sometimes with a voter-verified paper audit trail.
Trump’s push to ban mail-in voting and machines comes despite his own history with absentee ballots. As Reuters pointed out, Trump himself voted by mail in the 2020 Florida election and even encouraged his supporters to do the same in 2024. This apparent contradiction has not gone unnoticed by commentators and political opponents.
The president’s argument that the U.S. is the only country to use mail-in voting is also at odds with international data. The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) reports that 34 countries permit mail-in voting in some form. Of these, 12 countries—including Canada, Germany, New Zealand, South Korea, and the United Kingdom—allow all voters to vote by mail. Another 22 countries permit mail-in voting for specific groups, such as those living abroad or with special circumstances. In fact, universal postal voting—where ballots are sent to all registered voters—has been adopted in several U.S. states and was even used in Bavaria during the pandemic, as noted by Newsweek.
Within the United States, the landscape is equally varied. The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) notes that 28 states, including Republican-led Arizona, Alaska, and Florida, let voters request a mail ballot without providing a reason. Eight states and Washington D.C. conduct all elections entirely by mail, automatically sending ballots to every registered voter. This diversity reflects the decentralized nature of U.S. elections, where states have considerable autonomy in determining voting methods.
Trump’s announcement has provoked strong reactions from both supporters and critics. Fox News highlighted his claim that eliminating mail-in ballots and voting machines is necessary to "ensure election integrity," with GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene voicing her support. On the other hand, outlets like CNN and ABC News have fact-checked Trump’s assertions, emphasizing that claims of widespread voter fraud linked to mail-in voting remain unsubstantiated. According to ABC News, Trump stated, “We’re going to start with an executive order that’s being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they’re corrupt.” He added, “The Democrats want it because they have horrible policy. The Republicans have to get smart.”
Trump has also argued that states are "merely an 'agent' for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes," insisting that they must follow federal directives on elections. "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," he posted. However, constitutional experts and state officials have pushed back on this interpretation. The U.S. Constitution, specifically Article I, Section 4, Clause 1—known as the Elections Clause—grants states and Congress, not the president, the authority to regulate elections. As the Boston Herald reported, Massachusetts Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office stated, “Rules regarding the availability of mail-in voting are dictated by state law.” Galvin’s spokesperson, Deb O’Malley, emphasized that Massachusetts uses only paper ballots, which can be verified through recounts and audits, and that all voting equipment undergoes rigorous certification and testing.
Legal scholars have weighed in as well. James A. Gardner, a professor at the University at Buffalo School of Law, told Newsweek, “No part of the federal government can regulate state and local elections. The only exception is when Congress enacts a law to enforce the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments, which prohibit discrimination in voting.” This consensus among experts suggests that Trump’s proposed executive order would likely face immediate legal challenges from states and voting rights advocates.
Trump’s rhetoric has not softened since the 2020 election, when he repeatedly claimed—without evidence—that mail-in voting was rife with fraud and that he was the rightful winner. In his latest barrage, he accused Democrats of supporting mail-in ballots because "they cheat at levels never seen before," and warned, "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS." He concluded, "I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS."
Despite the heated rhetoric, no concrete timeline for implementing these changes has been announced. The White House has not released the text of the proposed executive order, and it remains unclear how Trump intends to overcome the significant legal and political obstacles ahead. What is clear, however, is that the battle over how Americans cast their votes is far from over—and the coming months promise to be contentious as both sides prepare for the 2026 midterms.
As the dust settles from Trump’s dramatic announcement, voters, lawmakers, and election officials across the country are left grappling with fundamental questions about democracy, federalism, and the future of American elections. The debate over mail-in voting and voting machines—far from resolved—continues to shape the nation’s political discourse in unpredictable ways.
