Trump aims to end mail-in voting and has threatened an executive order against state election rules. His opposition intensified after the 2020 presidential loss, when his campaign aides testified about a “red mirage” on election day that was later corrected by absentee ballots.

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Mailing ballots is popular among voters seeking to avoid polling lines on Election Day. However, Trump has long criticized mail-in voting as vulnerable to fraud, despite assurances from election officials and experts that the system is secure. In an August 18 interview with Sean Hannity, Trump cited Russian President Vladimir Putin’s support for banning mail-in voting.

Trump’s announcement came amidst pending special House races in Arizona and Tennessee, and gubernatorial elections in New Jersey and Virginia scheduled for November. The country will vote on House races, one-third of the Senate, and presidential elections in 2026 and 2028, respectively.

Mail-in voting is widely used; nearly 47 million votes were cast by mail in 2024 out of a total 155 million. About 41% of these ballots were from Democrats, while 38% were from Republicans, according to the Council on Foreign Relations.

Trump contends that states are merely agents for federal election counting and tabulation, but election-law experts disagree. Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA, said Trump’s threat is unconstitutional. Joyce Vance White, a former U.S. attorney in Alabama, denounced Trump’s statements as lies about elections, asserting that each state runs its own elections.

In a unique start to his ruling against President Donald Trump’s administration on September 30, U.S. District Court Judge William Young included a scanned handwritten note sent to his office. The note read: “Trump has pardons and tanks – what do you have?” At the top of Young’s opinion in AAUP v. Rubio, which ruled that Trump’s effort to deport foreign-born student protesters was unconstitutional.

October 8, 2025

Sophia Lin Lakin from the American Civil Liberties Union emphasized mail-in voting’s importance for people with disabilities and others needing flexible voting options. She stated that Trump’s attempts to undermine this safe, proven method of voting are part of a strategy to sow distrust in our elections and prevent accountability.