Trump moves to narrow mail voting rules
Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting mail-in voting, adding fresh fuel to a fight that has become a familiar part of his political playbook. The move comes as midterm elections approach in November, with Republicans arguing that tighter rules are needed to protect election integrity and Democrats warning that the changes could shut eligible voters out of the process.
The order is likely to face immediate legal challenges. Elias said on social media, “If Trump signs an unconstitutional Executive Order to take over voting, we will sue. I don’t bluff and I usually win.”
Trump, for his part, brushed off the prospect of any court battle at the signing ceremony.
“I don’t know how it can be challenged. ... You may find a rogue judge. You get a lot of rogue judges, very bad, bad people, very bad judges. But that’s the only way that can be changed, and hopefully we’ll win an appeal.”
A familiar argument from Trump
Trump has spent years falsely claiming that mail-in voting is insecure and vulnerable to fraud. That claim has been central to his push to limit or eliminate the practice, even though he used mail voting himself last week. The contradiction is, as ever, doing a lot of work.
The new order also resembles the GOP-backed SAVE America Act, which has already passed the House and is still being considered in the Senate. Trump has pushed Congress to approve the measure, though its chances remain uncertain. The bill would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote and would push states to more aggressively remove noncitizens from voter rolls.
What the order does
Trump’s directive puts the Department of Homeland Security to work with the Social Security Administration to create an approved list of absentee voters. Under the order, the U.S. Postal Service would be instructed to send mail-in ballots only to voters on that list.
The order also tells Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate anyone who is wrongly distributing mail-in ballots. In addition, it threatens to withhold federal funds from states that do not comply with the directive.
The practical effect is clear enough: a tighter federal grip on a voting process that millions of Americans use, and a new round of lawsuits almost guaranteed to follow. Election policy in the Trump era remains a field where every move arrives with a side order of litigation.
