Trump vows to lead push to eliminate mail-in ballots, voting machines

President Donald Trump said Aug. 18 he will lead a movement to eliminate mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines, arguing both undermine election integrity. 

In a Truth Social post, Trump claimed mail-in voting has produced “MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD” and called voting machines “‘Inaccurate,’ Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial.” 

Instead, he proposed paper ballots with watermarks, which he said are faster, more accurate, and leave “NO DOUBT” about election outcomes. He added that voting machines cost “Ten Times more” than paper ballots. 

“We are now the only Country in the World that uses Mail-In Voting,” Trump wrote.

The President said he will begin with an executive order ahead of the 2026 midterm elections and warned it will be “STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE.” 

In an Aug. 18 Oval Office meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Trump told reporters the executive order is “being written right now by the best lawyers in the country.” 

Nearly one-third of ballots in the 2024 election were cast by mail, according to a report released in June by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission.

Trump has already taken steps to roll back mail-in voting. In a March 25 executive order, he revoked a Biden-era directive that told federal agencies to promote mail-in ballot access. Trump’s order banned QR code-only ballots, required paper records for all votes, and directed the Justice Department to help states investigate fraud. 

The order also barred counting ballots received after Election Day in federal races. But a federal judge blocked this provision in June, ruling that the president lacks authority to set state election rules, The Hill reported.