(The Hill) – On Monday, President Trump stated his intention to sign an executive order to abolish mail-in ballots and eliminate “seriously controversial” voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections.
In a message on his Truth Social platform, Trump reiterated his ongoing criticism of mail-in voting, claiming that other nations have discarded this method due to “MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED.”
“I am going to lead a movement to eliminate MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also to remove Highly ‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES, which cost significantly more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper. It is faster and leaves NO DOUBT as to who WON, and who LOST the Election,” Trump asserted in his post.
“WE WILL INITIATE THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL FACE STRONG OPPOSITION FROM THE DEMOCRATS WHO CHEAT AT AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to promote HONESTY in the 2026 Midterm Elections,” he continued.
Trump has persistently promoted unverified claims about widespread voter fraud involving mail-in voting. He has consistently described his 2020 election loss as “rigged,” particularly due to the increased mail-in ballots during the coronavirus pandemic.
A June report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) noted that nearly one-third of the ballots in the 2024 election were cast by mail. Although mail-in voting did not reach the 43-percent peak during the pandemic four years ago, it accounted for 30.3 percent of total ballots, significantly higher than pre-pandemic figures.
An effort to dramatically overhaul the way federal elections are run has faced legal roadblocks in recent months.
In June, a judge blocked part of Trump’s March executive order that sought to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots that were postmarked by Election Day but arrived later. The judge said the president lacked the authority to impose state election rules.
Trump, in his post on Monday, appeared to preempt concerns about the lack of authority.
“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 said.
The president accused Democrats of being “virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM” and pledged to fight to prevent election integrity.
“ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS,” Trump wrote. “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”
“THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!! REMEMBER, WITHOUT FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS, AND STRONG AND POWERFUL BORDERS, YOU DON’T HAVE EVEN A SEMBLANCE OF A COUNTRY.”
