CHICAGO — President Donald Trump declared on social media yesterday morning that he would seek to eliminate mail voting and vote machines ahead of the 2026 midterms. The president’s remarks on mail voting come days after Russian President Vladimir Putin told Trump he disapproved of mail voting in U.S. elections. 

The Institute for Responsive Government released a series of new resources to help better understand why the president can’t simply issue another elections executive order that would ban mail voting or interfere with elections equipment:

• Can The President Really Ban Mail Voting or Election Equipment?
• Why We Can Trust Voting Machines
• Why Mail Ballots Are Secure: Layered Safeguards

“Republican and Democratic lawmakers alike have embraced vote-by-mail because it’s a tried and true, secure way to ensure eligible voters can participate in elections. President Trump has no authority to upend state voting policies,” said Sam Oliker-Friedland, executive director of the Institute for Responsive Government. “The ability to vote by mail is particularly critical for rural voters without a polling location near their home, elderly voters who can’t easily travel to an in-person polling place, or the many eligible voters who have to work on Election Day.”

President Trump encouraged Americans to vote by mail ahead of his victory in the 2024 election, and a New York Times analysis found that Republicans made substantial gains with ballots cast by mail last year. A recent Election Assistance Commission report found that nearly one-third of voters participated in last year’s election via mail ballot; states including Indiana, South Dakota, and Utah saw the biggest uptick in mail voting.

The president also falsely declared on Truth Social: “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.”

“What’s most alarming about the president’s comments is the total disregard for how elections in our country are administered,” Oliker-Friedland continued. “State lawmakers enact the laws that govern how elections are administered within their state. For a president to say that states must submit to the will of the federal government — and specifically, the president’s individual desires — runs contrary to how our democracy works.”

Yesterday’s social media post — and the promise of an EO to come — are the latest steps Trump has taken as part of a broader effort to weaken election administration and undermine trust in election administrators. Last month, the New York Times reported that the Department of Justice was exploring ways to prosecute local election officials. Earlier this year, the administration cut funding for teams that monitor threats of foreign interference and help local election officials address security threats. The president also issued a largely illegal EO in March, which sought to burden local election officials with a number of new responsibilities while providing no actual funding whatsoever for the new work.

To speak with Sam Oliker-Friedland or other Responsive Gov policy experts about vote-by-mail or election administration, please contact dan@responsivegov.org.

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The Institute for Responsive Government is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to ensuring state and federal governments work effectively for the very people they serve. The Institute for Responsive Government provides data, research, and expertise to elected officials in order to find practical policy solutions that make government systems more efficient, accessible, and responsive.