President Trump threatens to eliminate mail-in voting before 2026 midterm elections
President Donald Trump has threatened to issue an executive order to end mail-in voting before the 2026 midterm elections.
A series of voting rights groups and Democratic Party officials have accused President Donald Trump of an unlawful power grab in two separate lawsuits aimed at blocking his new restrictions on mail-in voting.
The ACLU and other civil rights groups represent voting rights groups, including the League of Women Voters of America, in a lawsuit filed April 2 that claims President Trump’s order excludes “potentially millions of eligible U.S. citizens” from voting.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) filed the lawsuit on April 1, along with Democratic groups. They argue that changing the voting method “imminently threatens to disenfranchise lawful voters and clearly exceed the president’s lawful authority.”
The Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment.
President Trump signed an executive order on March 31 directing the U.S. Postal Service to develop “uniform standards” to prevent mail-in ballots from being sent to people who are not authorized to vote. The service would provide each state with a list of “registered” voters.
Voting rights groups and Democrats say Trump is violating the U.S. Constitution’s separation of powers by attempting to use powers that belong to either Congress or the states.
The Constitution provides that each state determines the time, place, and manner of holding elections for members of Congress, but also provides that Congress may pass laws changing these regulations, except for the location of Senate elections.
For years, President Trump has promoted baseless claims that Joe Biden actually won the 2020 presidential election, despite numerous audits and studies confirming that he actually won. Since retaking office as president in 2025, Trump has repeatedly sought to cast doubt on U.S. elections and pushed for control of the electoral process, which is primarily run by states.
Appearing on “The Dan Bongino Show” on Feb. 2, President Trump said Republicans should “nationalize” voting and “take over voting in at least as many 15 places.”
Mr. Trump has unsuccessfully pushed Congress for weeks to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and a photo ID to vote, force states to turn over their voter rolls to the federal government and create a program to remove noncitizens from states.
Contributors: Zach Anderson, Joey Garrison, Zachary Charmelet – USA Today
