Trump plans major shake-up of how Americans vote ahead of 2026 midterm elections



President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will "lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES."

The president — whose announcement comes just 10 days after a pair of councilmen in Hamtramck, Michigan, were charged with election and absentee ballot fraud — indicated that he will kick off this initiative with a forthcoming executive order aimed at ensuring honesty in the 2026 midterm elections.

'Democrats are virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM.'

The president has long raised concerns over mail-in voting and voting machines.

Ahead of the 2020 election, Trump warned that mail-in voting "WILL LEAD TO MASSIVE FRAUD AND ABUSE" and noted that "unless changed by the courts, will lead to the most CORRUPT ELECTION in our Nation's History!"

Trump also warned: "RIGGED 2020 ELECTION: MILLIONS OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS WILL BE PRINTED BY FOREIGN COUNTRIES, AND OTHERS. IT WILL BE THE SCANDAL OF OUR TIMES!"

Absent corrective action over such concerns, former President Joe Biden managed to somehow win the 2020 election, netting millions more votes than Kamala Harris did in 2024.

— (@)

FBI Director Kash Patel vindicated some of Trump's concerns, revealing in June that intelligence reports from August 2020 detailed "allegations of plans from the [Chinese Communist Party] to manufacture fake driver's licenses and ship them into the United States for the purpose of facilitating fraudulent mail-in ballots — allegations which, while substantiated, were abruptly recalled and never disclosed to the public."

'ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING.'

Between January 1 and June 30, 2020, U.S. Customs and Border Protection seized 1,513 shipments containing fraudulent documents, including 19,888 counterfeit U.S. driver's licenses.

RELATED: Election officials rage as Trump administration pushes for election security

Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

In addition to possible exploitation by bad actors at home and abroad, Politico highlighted another reason why Trump might want to spike mail-in voting: Historically, Democrats have turned in more mail-in votes than Republicans, who alternatively vote more often in person.

According to a 2024 Pew Research Center survey, 62% of respondents who identified as Republicans or leaned Republican said voters should be able to vote early or absentee if they had a documented reason for not voting in person on Election Day. Only 17% of Democrats or Democratic-leaning respondents said the same.

The Election Assistance Commission indicated that nearly 15 million mail-in ballots were returned at ballot drop boxes in the 2024 election.

"With their HORRIBLE Radical Left policies, like Open Borders, Men Playing in Women's Sports, Transgender and 'WOKE' for everyone, and so much more, Democrats are virtually Unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM," Trump wrote on Monday. "ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS."

Trump suggested further that other countries have ditched mail-in voting "because of the MASSIVE VOTER FRAUD ENCOUNTERED."

The president suggested it would be worthwhile to scrap voting machines because they supposedly "cost Ten Times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster, and leaves NO DOUBT, at the end of the evening, as to who WON, and who LOST, the Election."

The Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution holds that "the Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof."

Trump's allusion to working with the Republican Party to "BRING HONESTY AND INTEGRITY BACK TO OUR ELECTIONS" signals an intention to lean on congressional Republicans to wield their constitutional authority to "make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators."

Rep. Troy Nehls (R-Texas) expressed support for Trump's initiative, writing, "We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our elections. No more mail-in ballots!"

Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray (R) called the elimination of mail-in ballots "common sense."

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Ballot Scanners Stop Working In Deep Red PA County, Cause ‘Unacceptable’ Delays

A software malfunction was preventing voters from scanning their ballots.

'Stay in line!' Technical issues at polls not deterring voters in deep-red Pennsylvania county



The Trump campaign and Republican lawmakers are urging Pennsylvania voters to proceed to their polling places and to remain in line despite the malfunctions now affecting various voting machines in the Keystone State.

Footage went viral Tuesday morning showing an election official notifying frustrated Pennsylvania voters that the voting machines on site and elsewhere in Cambria County were down.

"Literally everybody in the county is having the exact same problem," said the official, adding that would-be voters could either wait in line or fill out a ballot for her to take later to the courthouse.

Concerned Americans flooded the comments with questions about possible election shenanigans, their confidence having likely already been shaken by recent reports of alleged "large scale" voter fraud and poll watchers being turned away in various areas in Pennsylvania.

'No one should be turned away from the polls if they wish to cast their vote.'

The Pennsylvania Department of State confirmed that the malfunctions were taking place in Cambria County, where Trump beat Biden in 2020 by 37 percentage points, and noted that "voters are continuing to vote by paper ballot, in accordance with normal operations, while the county resolves the issue with in-precinct scanning."

"We are working with the County to resolve this technical matter and remain committed to ensuring a free, fair, safe, and secure election," said the department.

Cambria County solicitor Ron Repak said in a statement:

The Cambria County Board of Election learned early this morning that a software malfunction in the County’s Electronic Voting System has prevented voters from scanning their ballots. This should not discourage voters from voting at their voting precincts. The Board has filed a Court Order extending the time to vote within Cambria County. No one should be turned away from the polls if they wish to cast their vote.

The Republican Party amplified the suggestion by Alex Meyer, deputy political director for the Trump campaign, that "voters should still proceed to their polling places as planned."

"The voting process is ongoing, and a court order has been filed in hopes of extended voting hours to 10pm to ensure everyone has an opportunity to cast their ballot," Meyer wrote on X.

'Do it for Corey.'

"Both electronic voting via express voting machines and hand-marked paper ballots are available at polling places. Completed ballots, regardless of format, will be accepted, secured, and counted by the Board of Elections," continued Meyer.

Meyer noted further that the county's board of elections has assured voters that all submitted ballots "will be safeguarded and included in the final count."

GOP chairman Michael Whatley emphasized the importance of voters remaining in line:

We understand that there are some line delays on the ground. We need you to stay in line. We need you to fill out your ballot in full and deliver it. Our Pennsylvania lawyers are all over this issue and will ensure fairness and accuracy in the process. Stay in line! Deliver your ballot!

Various other conservatives implored Republican voters to stick it out.

Jack Posobiec, senior editor at Human Events, wrote, for instance, "For every second you get stuck in line or face an issue at the polls[,] Remember there is one man who wasn't able to vote this year[.] A Pennsylvanian[.] His name was Corey Comperatore[.] Do it for Corey."

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna tweeted, "Stay in line!"

Mike Davis of the Article III Project noted that despite the voter machine issues, "Kamala Democrats are fighting in court against a mere 3-hour extension to ensure voters can vote. Kamala Democrats are fighting to disenfranchise voters on Election Day. Stay in line, Trump voters."

WTAJ-TV reported that just before 11 a.m., a court ordered that Cambria County polls will remain open until 10 p.m., affording voters additional time to cast their votes.

Pollsters have indicated that the election may hinge on the final result in Pennsylvania, where AtlasIntel's final poll showed President Donald Trump leading by 1 percentage point.

This is a developing story and may be updated with additional information.

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