US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he plans to sign a new executive order aimed at eliminating mail-in ballots and certain voting machines ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. In a post on Truth Social, the social media platform he owns, Trump vowed to “lead a movement” to overhaul voting procedures across the country.
“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 wrote, without offering any evidence to support the claims.
“WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to help bring HONESTY to the 2026 Midterm Elections,” the US President added.
Legal Hurdles Remain
This isn’t Trump’s first attempt to influence election policy from the White House. A previous executive order issued on March 25 was blocked by courts after being challenged by several Democrat-led states.
While elections are managed independently by all 50 American states, Trump appears to have insisted that the federal government has authority over how votes are counted.
“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,” he said, according to The Associated Press.
International Support?
Trump also made references to his recent meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, claiming the Russian leader “agreed” with his stance on eliminating mail-in voting, in remarks that will likely fuel further scrutiny given the history of election interference allegations between the two countries.
A History of Contradictions
Trump has long claimed — without proof — that the 2020 US election was stolen. Notably, he has also voted by mail himself and encouraged supporters to do so in 2024, per AP.
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