On Monday, Aug. 18, President Donald Trump said he would issue an executive order ending the practice of mail-in voting and eliminating the use of voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In a lengthy post to his social media platform, Truth Social, the president 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, 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.”
The President also took the opportunity to take a swipe at the opposing Democrats writing, “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.”
Previously, Trump attempted to address issues he saw with American elections in an executive order issued in March this year, however the order was blocked by the courts after a number of Democrat-led states sued.
Each state is responsible for running their own election, however Trump warned them that they would need to comply with his order.
Success
You are now signed up for our newsletter
Success
Check your email to complete sign up
“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 wrote.
READ MORE:
- Trump Delays China Tariff Deadline by 90 Days Hours Before Truce Ends
- Trump May Ease Restrictions, Permitting Certain Migrant Workers to Return to Farms
- US Targets Chinese Goods With Vietnam Trade Deal
Unusual support
The president’s statement follows his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska on Friday, Aug. 15, where the two leaders discussed ways to bring the war in Ukraine to an end.
Trump said Putin agreed with him that mail-in ballots should be banned from elections.
Trump, who has consistently argued that he legitimately won the 2020 federal election against Joe Biden, has long pressed his fellow Republicans to make more efforts to overhaul the American voting system.
Despite his current stance on the matter the president did vote by mail in some previous elections and even urged his supporters to do so in 2024. However, the president has made it clear he wants to bring an end to the practice.
According to Politico, Harrison Fields, special assistant to the president and principal deputy press secretary, said Democrats have “eroded faith in our elections.”
“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,” Fields said.
Historically, Democrats have done well with mail-in ballots, more so than Republicans who choose to vote in person more often.
However, after the spike in use of mail-in ballots during the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of mail-in ballots has remained high.
