Donald Trump has faced allegations of making a move deemed ‘blatantly unconstitutional’ following his announcement to eliminate a voting procedure that has been in place for 160 years.
In the midst of efforts to broker a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine, the President of the United States utilized Truth Social on August 18 to unveil a contentious proposal. This plan involves significant changes to the voting process for US citizens.
As it stands, registered US citizens who are at least 18 years old and meet state residency requirements are entitled to vote, irrespective of their location, as per the US government regulations.
This is facilitated through absentee voting and vote-by-mail systems, which enable participation in both primary and general elections, providing an alternative for those unable or unwilling to vote in person.
TIME Magazine reports that widespread absentee voting has been practiced since the 1864 presidential election. It gained particular prominence during the 2020 elections amid the coronavirus pandemic when Trump lost to Joe Biden.
Currently, with Trump back in office, he has announced intentions to ‘lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots’.
His announcement went further as he also laid out plans to eliminate what he called ‘highly inaccurate, very expensive and seriously controversial voting machines’, asserting they are ‘ten times’ more costly than using watermarked paper.
Trump emphasized that ‘sophisticated Watermark Paper… leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election’.
He argued: “We are now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting. All others gave it up because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED. 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.”
It should be noted that several other countries, including Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, and Switzerland, continue to use mail-in voting. Trump’s allegations of significant fraud within the Democratic Party lack evidence, and mail-in voting remains a legitimate electoral method.
Despite these facts, Trump continued, asserting in full caps-lock, that ‘ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING’, stating: “I, AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY, WILL FIGHT LIKE HELL TO BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS.”
“THE MAIL-IN BALLOT HOAX, USING VOTING MACHINES THAT ARE A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER, MUST END, NOW!!! REMEMBER, WITHOUT FAIR AND HONEST ELECTIONS, AND STRONG AND POWERFUL BORDERS, YOU DON’T HAVE EVEN A SEMBLANCE OF A COUNTRY.”
Trump’s statement has sparked debate, with Democracy Docket’s Twitter page noting: “In a blatantly unconstitutional move, Trump announces plans for a new executive order aiming to eliminate mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterms. The Constitution grants states, not the president, the primary authority to regulate elections.”
Attorney Joyce White Vance provided a fact-check on Twitter, stating: “Each state runs its own election.”
When asked for comment, a White House spokesperson remarked: “Democrats have eroded faith in our elections with reckless laws, such as unfettered mail-in voting, illegally changing laws to benefit their voters, and slow-walking the counting of votes far past Election Day.
“President Trump wants to secure America’s elections and protect the vote, restoring the integrity of our elections by requiring voter ID, ensuring no illegal ballots are cast, and preventing cheating through lax and incompetent voting laws in states like California and New York.”