In his escalation against the electoral system, President Donald Trump now claims he will lead a movement to eliminate mail-in voting. He falsely asserts that the United States is the only country that uses this system.
“I will lead a movement to eliminate mail-in voting and, while we’re at it, the highly inaccurate, very expensive, and seriously controversial voting machines. They cost ten times more than precise and sophisticated watermarked paper, which is faster and leaves no doubt, by the end of the night, about who won and who lost the elections,” the president stated in a Truth Social post. “Currently, we are the only country in the world that uses mail-in voting. Everyone else abandoned it due to the massive electoral fraud detected.”
According to data from the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA), several countries use mail as a voting method, including Australia, Austria, Canada, Germany, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
Other countries, like Mexico, use this system for voting by citizens abroad.
Trump has repeatedly claimed without evidence that there has been electoral fraud in the country. After the 2020 election, his legal team filed lawsuits in various courts but failed to prove their fraud allegations.
“We will begin this effort, which will face strong opposition from Democrats due to their fraud at unprecedented levels. I will sign an executive order to help bring honesty to the 2026 midterm elections,” Trump stated. “Remember, states are merely an ‘agent’ of the federal government in counting and tabulating votes. They must do what the Federal Government, represented by the President of the United States, orders them to do, FOR THE GOOD OF OUR COUNTRY.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (New York) criticized President Trump’s plan, stating that mail-in voting is reliable.
“Two facts: Donald Trump lost the 2020 election and mail-in voting is safe and reliable,” Schumer said. “Let’s be clear: this is not based on facts or reality but is another way for Trump to silence Americans.”
Schumer referenced “Jim Crow laws,” which were attempts to limit voting based on racial grounds.
“Senate Democrats will ensure that any measure making it harder for Americans to vote is rejected when it reaches the Senate and will continue fighting to protect our democracy,” he stated.
A legal battle
Mail-in voting has been a topic of debate and decisions in various states, and Washington and Oregon are currently in a legal battle over an initial executive order from Trump, No. 14248, “Preservation and Protection of the Integrity of U.S. Elections.” The order seeks to count only mail-in ballots received before Election Day, without considering the postmark date.
The National Vote at Home Institute (NVAHI), an independent nonprofit organization, filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the lawsuit brought in Washington and Oregon.
The NVAHI argues that this provision of the executive order is unconstitutional and would disenfranchise tens of thousands of legal voters, particularly those living in rural areas or with limited access to polling places.
The organization warns that the Trump Administration seeks to expand limited federal power over election administration.
“The U.S. Constitution is clear on this. Each state determines how its elections will be conducted,” stated Barbara Smith Warner, executive director of the NVAHI.
She added that Trump’s initial executive order “is not just about voting deadlines” but represents an attempt at “an unprecedented power grab of federal overreach into state elections.”
How many voters would be affected?
Reports from the NVAHI indicate that over the past 20 years, more than one billion mail-in ballots have been processed across the U.S.
“All 50 states and Washington, D.C., now allow some form of at-home voting, and 18 states accept ballots postmarked by Election Day—a standard that is secure and essential for protecting voting rights,” the organization states.
Regarding the Latino vote, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) notes that confidence in mail-in voting among Latino voters has increased, boosted in 2020 due to the Covid pandemic.
“This experience clearly shows that when we remove barriers and motivate citizens, Latinos will respond by voting in record numbers,” the organization stated.
The average of Latino voters using mail-in voting is between 30% and 33%, according to various reports.
Image: Opinion
