Former US President Donald Trump on Monday pledged to lead a “movement” against mail-in voting, escalating his long-running attacks on a system used by nearly a third of Americans in the 2024 elections.
Writing on his Truth Social platform, Trump said he planned to issue an executive order targeting both mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines, claiming the measures would restore “honesty” to next year’s midterm elections. “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 said.
Mail-in and absentee ballots are legal in most US states, and election officials have repeatedly affirmed their security. More than 30 percent of ballots cast in 2024 were submitted by mail. Pro-democracy groups warn that eliminating them could disenfranchise millions of voters, including those with disabilities.
Trump, however, has long promoted baseless claims of widespread fraud linked to postal voting. After his 2020 defeat to Joe Biden, he falsely alleged that tens of thousands of fraudulent mail-in ballots swung the election. In recent remarks, he cited Russian President Vladimir Putin as supporting his claims, despite international evidence showing that more than 30 countries — including Germany, Britain, and Canada — use postal voting.
The former president has also faced legal setbacks in his attempts to curtail mail-in ballots. A March executive order directing the US Attorney General to challenge states that counted late-arriving, postmarked ballots was struck down by a federal judge.
Despite his criticism, Trump has repeatedly voted by mail himself, including in Florida’s 2020 primaries and earlier absentee ballots in New York. In 2024, he briefly shifted tone with a “Swamp The Vote USA” initiative encouraging Republicans to cast postal ballots, a move analysts described as pragmatic recognition of their widespread use.
