Trump’s Unfounded Criticism of Mail Voting

President Trump has faced judicial obstacles in his efforts to limit mail voting. Historically, Republicans supported absentee voting before his administration.

Recently, Trump intensified his attack on mail voting by falsely alleging fraud. This continues despite multiple court rulings, including from the Supreme Court, that blocked his restrictions on mail voting ahead of November’s midterm elections.

False Claims on Mail Voting

Trump has repeatedly labeled mail voting as “cheating” and “corrupt,” claiming it invites widespread fraud. Ironically, Trump himself has cast mail ballots in several elections, including in 2018, 2020, and March of this year.

Election officials and numerous studies can find no substantial evidence to support Trump’s allegations. The Heritage Foundation’s election fraud database, which spans from 1982 to 2025, records fewer than 300 instances of fraudulent absentee ballots. The Brookings Institution’s analysis in 2025 revealed fraud in only four out of 10 million mail ballots.

Trump acknowledges that his push against mail voting is politically motivated. In March, he told GOP lawmakers that implementing strict voter ID measures on mail-in ballots, typically favored by Democrats, would secure midterm victory for Republicans.

GOP’s Prior Support of Mail Voting

Historically, mail voting has benefited Republicans more than Democrats. In the later 20th century, it was commonly viewed as a method that favored Republican voters, according to John C. Fortier of the American Enterprise Institute. Fortier has documented this trend in his work on the history of absentee voting.