MS NOW-Trump signs executive order targeting mail-in ballots. But it might have no teeth.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

The order, which the president signed late Tuesday, attempts to make significant changes to mail-in ballots in an effort to crack down on voter fraud, despite no evidence that such fraud is a widespread problem.

Trump signs executive order targeting mail-in ballots. But it might have no teeth. www.ms.now/news/trump-s...

— MS NOW (@ms.now) 2026-04-01T00:20:11.014Z

https://www.ms.now/news/trump-signs-executive-order-targeting-mail-in-ballots-but-it-might-have-no-teeth

But the order is likely to run up against multiple legal challenges given that the U.S. constitution expressly gives the power to run elections to the states, with some authority delegated to Congress.....

Election experts immediately pointed out that the president has little authority to implement the executive order.

“Some may freak out about this, but honestly, this is hilarious. It’s clearly unconstitutional, will be blocked immediately, and the only thing it will accomplish is to make liberal lawyers wealthier. He might as well sign an EO banning gravity,” said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research.

In a statement to MS NOW, Becker said that “there’s not a single provision in here that will withstand judicial review. This is a wholly unconstitutional executive order. It will be blocked before the ink is dry. The president has no power under the constitution to dictate to states how they run elections.”

The president has long lambasted mail-in voting as “cheating,” despite little evidence of it being misused. Trump himself voted by mail in a recent Florida election, even after denouncing the practice. The signing of the executive order comes as Trump has demanded—so far unsuccessfully —that Congress pass the SAVE Act, an elections bill that requires proof of citizenship when signing up to vote and for voters to produce a photo ID at the polling place. He has insisted lawmakers include a ban on mail-in voting in the legislation, though that language has yet to be adopted.....

Trump’s Justice Department has demanded voter registration lists from almost all 50 states, and sued 29 states and Washington D.C. for not complying. A dozen other states have agreed to provide that information, including Alaska, Arkansas, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming.

The Trump administration has also long called for requiring identification and proof of citizenship at the polls, restrictive measures that voting rights experts said enable voter suppression.