Key facts
- Donald Trump's executive order aimed to restrict mail-in ballots by forbidding the USPS from delivering ballots to those deemed ineligible.
- The plan involved the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration devising a list of ineligible voters.
- An expert called the executive order "wholly unconstitutional" as the federal government cannot set election rules.
- A whistleblower stated the Postal Service lacked the ability to implement the plan safely and that it was "perilously rushed and potentially unlawful".
- State election officials noted they could not implement Trump's restrictions close to an election.
- Trump posted on Truth Social that mailed ballots are "corrupt and out of control".
- Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas dissented from the mailed ballot ruling.
- Trump has claimed mail-in voting fraud is rampant, though the Brookings Institution found a fraud rate of 0.000043% in recent elections.
- Trump has voted by mail at least three times since 2020.
- More Democrats than Republicans vote by mail, so restricting it could benefit the GOP.
Donald Trump's attempt to restrict mail-in voting through a March executive order was rebuked by the Supreme Court, which rejected his plan. The order would have forbidden the U.S. Postal Service from delivering ballots to individuals deemed ineligible by the administration, a move described as "wholly unconstitutional" by one expert because the federal government cannot set election rules. A whistleblower also indicated the Postal Service lacked the capacity to implement the plan safely and that it was "perilously rushed and potentially unlawful."
Despite the Supreme Court's ruling, Trump has continued to express strong opposition to mail-in voting, calling it "corrupt and out of control" on Truth Social and criticizing the justices who ruled against him. This stance, coupled with his administration's actions, raises concerns about potential disruptions to the electoral process in the upcoming midterms. Trump's claims of widespread mail-in voting fraud have been disputed by research, such as a Brookings Institution finding of a 0.000043% fraud rate in recent elections. Furthermore, restricting mail-in ballots could disproportionately affect Democrats, as more of them tend to vote by mail.
In a separate development, Trump's rhetoric at a rally in North Carolina was criticized as "dark, divisive" by the Charlotte Observer. He claimed the state had become a "crime-ridden hellhole," despite White House data showing a significant drop in crime across major categories in North Carolina during the first half of the year.