Trump Faces GOP Resistance on Mail-In Voting Ban

President Donald Trump has again pledged to eliminate mail-in voting, saying he plans to sign an executive order restricting the practice before the 2026 midterm elections. But even within his own Republican Party, officials are voicing doubts about both the wisdom and legality of such a move.

Mail-In Voting Popular Across Red and Blue States

According to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, roughly 30% of all votes cast in the 2024 election were submitted by mail. In at least 14 states and the District of Columbia, mail-in turnout surpassed 30%. Trump carried half of those states, many of which have Republican governors or secretaries of state who oversee elections.

This complicates Trump’s insistence that mail-in voting is “corrupt” and should be abolished. “Your election was rigged because you have mail-in voting,” Trump said in a recent Fox News interview, even attributing the advice to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Republicans Push Back: ‘Don’t Eliminate It’

While some GOP leaders agree voting by mail needs tighter security, many reject Trump’s call for a total ban.

Michigan state House Majority Leader Bryan Posthumus, a Trump supporter, argued for safeguards like requiring photo ID and proof of citizenship but warned against scrapping the system entirely. “We shouldn’t just go off and get rid of voting by mail,” Posthumus said. “As long as our systems are secure, the access it allows is a good thing.”

Vermont GOP chair Paul Dame said abolishing mail-in ballots would disenfranchise overseas military voters. “I don’t think anyone supports a complete elimination,” he said. “That would be disenfranchising men and women overseas.”

South Dakota GOP Chair Jim Eschenbaum echoed the point: “We can’t get rid of vote by mail because we’ve got military serving, and if anybody deserves a vote in our elections, it’s the people that are willing to die for us.”

Legal Obstacles

Even if Trump moves forward, constitutional hurdles remain. The Constitution gives states the authority to set the “times, places, and manner” of elections. Congress could override state laws, but Senate Democrats have already pledged to block any measure restricting ballot access.

“Any and every measure that would make it even more difficult for Americans to vote will be dead on arrival in the Senate,” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said.

Trump’s Election Integrity Crusade

Despite years of repeating baseless claims that Democrats exploit mail-in voting to cheat, Trump and Republicans have often benefited from the system in key states. In Ohio, Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose has overseen mail-in elections with minimal fraud cases.

According to the conservative Heritage Foundation’s own database, there have been just 217 criminal convictions for election-related fraud nationwide since 2020, spanning all voting methods.

Still, Trump continues to frame mail-in voting as central to what he calls “election integrity.” On Truth Social this month, he declared: “Republicans: BAN MAIL-IN VOTING!!! … USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!”

For now, even his allies seem to think that plan may not survive first contact with reality.