“Unconstitutional Power Grab”: VRL Responds to New Executive Order on Mail Voting
WASHINGTON — Moments ago, President Donald Trump issued another executive order designed to radically reshape how states run elections. The executive order seeks to significantly restrict mail voting by requiring the Secretary of Homeland Security to compile a list of verified U.S. citizens and barring the U.S. Postal Service from delivering mail ballots to those not on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list.
Attempts by this administration to compile a database of citizens have already proven to be error-prone and a threat to citizens’ voter registrations.
Samantha Tarazi, Voting Rights Lab Co-Founder and CEO, issued the following statement in response:
“This is another unconstitutional power grab by President Trump, all meant to cause chaos and confusion ahead of the midterms.
“This executive order is part of a familiar playbook: use baseless attacks on our elections to lay the groundwork for future election challenges. But the facts are clear: mail voting is a secure and reliable voting method that millions of Americans — including Trump himself — rely on to make their voices heard.
“Like Trump’s first executive order on elections, this unconstitutional power grab will be challenged in the courts. But it hands his allies in the states a blueprint to push his extreme and unpopular agenda forward.”
Background: Voting by mail is widely popular, with 48 million Americans voting by mail in 2024. Currently, all 50 states and D.C. offer mail voting. Twenty-one states and D.C. currently use mail voting as their default voting method for all or some elections. Only 14 states require voters to provide a qualifying excuse to vote by mail.
To speak to a Voting Rights Lab expert, email press@votingrightslab.org. Get the latest on state legislation related to mail ballots here.
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Voting Rights Lab is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings state policy and legislative expertise to the fight for voting rights. We work in partnership with organizations across the country to secure, protect, and defend the voting rights of all Americans. And we track voting laws and legislation in all 50 states at tracker.votingrightslab.org.