WASHINGTON, D.C.—In a bold move that will likely be met with fierce legal opposition, President Donald J Trump announced on Monday, August 18, on Truth Social that he will be signing an executive order to “get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS,” calling the mail-in voting system a “scam” that facilitates voter fraud.
“The president’s announcement should be rejected for what it is: federal interference in state authority and a direct threat to every eligible American’s right to cast a ballot and have it counted,” wrote Secretary of State Steve Hobbs in a statement against President Trump’s vow to dismantle mail-in voting.” “The Constitution is clear. Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 gives Congress and state legislatures the authority to set the ‘Times, Places and Manner’ of elections — not the president. For nearly two decades, Washington voters have benefitted from a vote-by-mail system upheld by our Legislature.”
The Elections Clause in Article I, Section 4, Clause 1 of the U.S. Constitution grants states the initial responsibility for regulating federal elections for U.S. Senators and Representatives. It reads: “The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of choosing Senators.”
States handle the “manner” of elections broadly, including recent topics like mail-in ballots and voter ID requirements. However, Congress has the authority to intervene to create uniform standards, such as through laws like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 or the Help America Vote Act of 2002, but states retain primary control unless overridden.
While states have broad constitutional authority to determine election processes, this is not absolute—federal intervention ensures national standards and protects voting rights. This is the argument President Trump made in Monday’s post stating, “Remember, the States are merely an ‘agent’ for the Federal Government in counting and tabulating the votes.”
“This is the Trump Administration’s next step to systematically dismantle and undermine our state and country’s election systems and I will not idly stand by while it happens in real-time,” Secretary Hobbs wrote adding, “In Washington, our system works. Every ballot is accounted for, signatures are verified, and results are audited. We will continue to run secure, transparent, and accessible elections. Voters deserve nothing less.”
According to data from the Heritage Foundation, there have been 15 cases of overall voter fraud in Washington state between 2004 and July 28, 2025: Duplicate Voting (1), Fraudulent use of Absentee Ballot (7), False Registration of a dog (1), False Registration (5); Ineligible Voter (1).
The worst case was in 2007 when ACORN workers in Seattle committed what then-Secretary of State Sam S Reed called the worst case of voter registration fraud in Washington’s history.
When ACORN’s national office threatened to shut down the group’s local office, Clifton Mitchell and his team began using fake names, addresses, birthdays, and social security numbers to meet their voter registration quotas. In total, the group submitted 1,762 fraudulent voter registration forms. Clifton Mitchell was convicted of false registrations and served nearly three months in jail. Four other ACORN workers on his team also received jail time.
California, Colorado, Hawaii, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Vermont, and Washington elections are “All-mail elections,” meaning every registered voter automatically receives a ballot by mail, with no need to request one or provide an excuse.
Empirical data shows that voter fraud involving mail-in or absentee ballots is exceedingly rare in the United States. An extensive review by the Brennan Center for Justice, release in 2020, found only 491 documented cases of absentee ballot fraud nationwide from 2000 to 2012, out of billions of votes cast.
Similarly, a 2021 Associated Press investigation into potential fraud in six battleground states from the 2020 election identified fewer than 475 cases across all voting methods, none of which altered outcomes.
However, recently, with cameras everywhere, more and more accounts of “ballot stuffing” are being captured.
In 2023, five people, including three Bridgeport, Connecticut, council members and the vice chairwoman of the city’s Democratic party were charged with election-related crimes.
Supporters of incumbent Mayor Joseph Ganim were caught on video stuffing absentee ballot drop boxes with invalid ballots during the Democratic primary. This involved harvesting and submitting fraudulent absentee ballots, leading to the election being overturned by a judge.
Currently there is a high-profile ongoing investigation in Hamtramck (an enclave city within Detroit, Michigan) involving allegations of absentee ballot fraud among city council members. The case spans the 2023 and 2025 primary elections, with charges filed against two councilmen—Councilmen Mohammed Hassan and Muhtasin Sadman—for the 2023 incident and an active investigation into Councilman Abu Musa for the more recent one.
Hassan and Sadman are accused of forging signatures on absentee ballot applications, providing false statements in those applications, and conspiring to unlawfully obtain and vote absentee ballots during the August 2023 Democratic primary.
Councilman Musa, who won re-election in the August 5, 2025, primary by a narrow margin of 76 votes was caught on surveillance video from August 1, 2025, allegedly dropping off multiple bundles of absentee ballots into a city drop box around 11 p.m. from a parked truck. Michigan law prohibits non-family members from handling others’ ballots, raising concerns of illegal ballot harvesting or trafficking.
Rep. Jim Walsh (R19-Aberdeen) for the 2025 Legislative Session introduced legislation (HJM 4007) for the U.S. Department of Justice to audit and review the Washington State Department of Licensing’s implementation of the state’s voter registration laws, citing concerns over the state’s “motor voter law”—automatically registering voters at the Department of Motor Vehicles when a person applies or renews a driver’s license, to put it simply.
“The Department of Licensing’s current process does not have strong enough safeguards to ensure only eligible voters are added to the rolls,” said Walsh.
And by safeguard, he means U.S. citizens.
“The people of Washington deserve confidence that our voter registration system is secure and functioning as intended. This review is about ensuring accountability, accuracy, and transparency in our elections,” Walsh said.
Washington consistently ranks among the top states for voter turnout, often exceeding 80% in presidential elections, largely attributed to the convenience of mail-in voting. If a proposal to eliminate mail-in voting were to be enacted, it would fundamentally require significant infrastructure changes costing millions of dollars.
Counties would need to expand polling places and staffing, as current systems leverage drop boxes and mail processing for efficiency. Logistical challenges in reverting back to same-day voting include training poll workers, securing sites, and managing lines, which could strain resources.
“Sadly, this is not the first attempt by the administration to undermine state authority” Hobbs added. “Earlier this year, Executive Order 14248 included several requirements that would directly interfere with our existing election processes, which have been proven secure. At the same time, the federal government has dismantled the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, shut down election security programs at CISA, and tie specific requirements that are vague and premature if Washington wants to receive Homeland Security Grant Program funding. These moves stripped local elections offices of resources while piling on new burdens from Washington, D.C.”
To meet President Trump’s deadline for the 2026 Mid-Term elections just 16 months away, if somehow same-day elections were implemented and all-mail voting eliminated, the U.S. military or National Guard may need to support election efforts.
On March 25, 2025, President Trump signed an executive order titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” that focused on enhancing election security by requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration. This order has faced legal challenges, from groups like the ACLU and the League of Women Voters, who claim it usurps congressional powers and could suppress voter turnout.
Author: Mario Lotmore
One Response
So what he’s really saying is that VOTE FRAUD MATTERS! Nothing says voter suppression of legal voters by ensuring that voters integrity is a low priority by making it easier to commit fraud with mail in ballots or electronic voting machines. What a corrupt SOS that would continue the charade of safe and secure elections while defending mail in ballots. Have the people forgotten the stolen Gubernatorial election of Dino Rossi when boxes were continued to be found that put Gregoire into office? France ended mail in balloting in the 70’s because they knew mail in as well as machines are ripe for voter fraud. President Trump is right to restore voter integrity and eliminate mail in balloting and electronic machine voting.