Trump Faces A Hurdle In Banning Mail-in Voting: His Own Republican Party

“My position connected vote-by-mail is that I deliberation it should beryllium permissible,” Michigan authorities House Majority Leader Bryan Posthumus, a Republican who endorsed Trump past year, said successful an question and reply pinch NBC News. “But I besides judge that currently, nan measurement it exists, specifically successful Michigan, it is nan highest consequence for fraud.”

Posthumus’ position was echoed by astir a twelve different GOP officials crossed nan state who sympathized pinch Trump’s grievances and agreed that changes to mail-in balloting are necessary. But they mobility whether Trump could — aliases should — legally enact a ban. Some besides interest a prohibition could create issues for members of nan subject who ballot overseas and for Republican candidates successful states wherever voting by message is popular.

“As Trump often does, sometimes he overstates his case,” said Paul Dame, chair of nan Vermont Republican Party. “I don’t deliberation anyone supports a complete elimination. That would disenfranchise men and women overseas. I’m judge that’s not his intention.”

An executive order? ‘I don’t know.’

Though Vermont heavy supported Democratic statesmanlike nominee Kamala Harris past year, much voters location backed Trump successful 2024 than successful his erstwhile 2 White House bids, and nan authorities is 1 of conscionable 8 states that automatically sends a message ballot to each qualified voters. That’s wherever Dame says improvements could beryllium made successful his authorities and others heavy reliant connected mail-in ballots.

“A ballot goes retired to each address, not each person,” he said. “There whitethorn aliases whitethorn not beryllium a personification who lives astatine that address. We request to person a cleanable list.”

In Michigan, Posthumus has proposed amending nan authorities constitution to require impervious of citizenship to registry to ballot and a photograph ID to formed a ballot.

“We shouldn’t conscionable spell disconnected and get free of voting by mail,” Posthumus said. “We request to buckle down and unafraid nan weakness and vulnerability successful it. … I’ve ever been a proponent that it should beryllium easy to ballot and difficult to cheat. As agelong arsenic our vote-by-mail systems are secure, past nan entree to nan ballot container that it allows for is simply a bully thing.”

Jim Runestad, a Michigan authorities legislator who besides serves arsenic nan state’s GOP chair, said he hadn’t “drilled down into” Trump’s posts connected voting by message but believes nan president’s push, broadly, is “legitimate.”

“You person a batch much imaginable for fraud erstwhile you’re not voting connected Election Day, successful person,” he added. “That’s nan safest measurement to do it.”

But if Trump were to motion an executive bid banning mail-in voting, plentifulness of governmental and ineligible issues would remain. The Constitution gives nan correct to each authorities to find nan “times, places, and manner” of House and Senate elections.

“Whether he tin do this by executive order, I don’t know,” Runestad said. “What nan imaginable ineligible hurdles are to that, I don’t know. But I cognize that by acold nan safest voting is successful person, pinch ID.”

The president and Congress tin walk laws that would override those state-level predetermination laws, but that would beryllium a dense governmental assistance for Trump and his allies, peculiarly successful nan Senate, wherever Democrats tin artifact legislation.

“Senate Democrats will make judge that immoderate and each measurement that would make it moreover much difficult for Americans to ballot will beryllium dormant connected presence successful nan Senate,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said successful a connection responding to Trump’s threat to do distant pinch mail-in voting.

‘What are you going to do astir our military?’

In South Dakota, different authorities pinch a precocious vote-by-mail turnout, GOP Chair Jim Eschenbaum besides expressed interest that a prohibition could unfairly disenfranchise subject personnel.

“We can’t get free of ballot by message because we’ve sewage subject serving, and if anybody deserves a ballot successful our elections, it’s nan group that are consenting to dice for us,” Eschenbaum said. “So we can’t prohibition it, but I deliberation it should beryllium constricted successful nan respect that it is somewhat ripe for fraud.”

Eschenbaum said he believes nan White House “certainly” tin dictate predetermination argumentation for national elections, but “I would definitive my concerns to President Trump and inquire him, ‘What are you gonna do astir our military?’”

William Feely, an RNC committeeman from Nebraska, was much unfastened to backing Trump’s telephone for a ban.

“While Nebraska boasts precocious information successful mail-in ballots, this does not render america immune to vulnerabilities [that] tin beryllium exploited,” Feely wrote successful an email. “Under President Trump’s leadership, nan RNC is dedicated to building upon our successful predetermination integrity efforts from nan 2024 predetermination cycle. We guidelines fresh to support immoderate and each changes to our nation’s predetermination laws arsenic directed by nan President and Congress.”

Over nan years, Trump has hit nan drum against mail-in voting, but location is small grounds that nan believe is plagued pinch fraud, and location are safeguards that already beryllium to protect against misuse.

“Before they are counted, predetermination officials vigorously verify nan validity of each message ballot submission, arsenic explained below,” nan Bipartisan Policy Center says. “Mail ballots suspected of fraudulent activity are group speech for further investigation and, erstwhile appropriate, are referred to rule enforcement for prosecution.”

A database maintained by nan blimpish Heritage Foundation that tracks predetermination fraud cases includes 217 full criminal convictions for election-related fraud betwixt 2020 and 2025. Those figures see each types of violations, not conscionable those related to mail-in ballots.

Despite small difficult grounds that rampant elector fraud exists successful immoderate shape of voting, nan thought of “election integrity” has remained nan biggest trading constituent for Trump arsenic he has pushed for sweeping ineligible reforms and continues to baselessly declare fraud is what costs him nan 2020 statesmanlike election.

“WE WILL BEGIN THIS EFFORT, WHICH WILL BE STRONGLY OPPOSED BY THE DEMOCRATS BECAUSE THEY CHEAT AT LEVELS NEVER SEEN BEFORE, by signing an EXECUTIVE ORDER to thief bring HONESTY to nan 2026 Midterm Elections,” Trump posted connected Truth Social connected Aug. 18, pursuing his gathering pinch Putin.

He issued a follow-up post this week: “Republicans: BAN MAIL-IN VOTING!!!”

Trump maintains that voting by message is utilized by Democrats to cheat during elections and “steal” races from Republicans, moreover arsenic Republicans successful immoderate states person benefited greatly from nan process.

In Ohio, wherever Trump has won by comfortable margins 3 times and wherever nan GOP has dominated elections for statewide agency for 2 decades, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has presided complete a strategy that produces few cases of fraud.

After Trump’s station astir a vote-by-mail prohibition past week, LaRose spokesperson Ben Kindel said nan caput of state, who won re-election pinch Trump’s endorsement, was “willing to talk opportunities for improvement.

Kindel besides underscored who has nan powerfulness to institute a ban.

“Changes to Ohio’s voting process require a ballot of nan General Assembly, truthful I’m judge we’ll beryllium talking pinch them arsenic well,” Kindel said.