Trump issues ‘unconstitutional’ order to limit mail-in voting as poll numbers plummet

Trump’s executive order is just his latest effort to restrict voting rights and alter the makeup of the electorate amid slumping popularity and dismal approval ratings. 

President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed a sweeping executive order that targets Americans’ ability to cast a vote by mail, seeking to impose federal control and strict restrictions on mail-in ballots. 

The order instructs the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to work with the Social Security Administration (SSA) to create a list of who is eligible to vote in each state. This list would then be used by the US Postal Service to determine who is eligible to receive an absentee ballot to vote by mail.

Within 60 days of federal elections, states would be provided with the list of eligible voters and the order directs US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate states and local governments that send ballots to voters who aren’t on the federal list. If states don’t abide by the order, they could lose federal funding. The order is certain to face lawsuits and multiple states have already vowed to file lawsuits over it. 

“We know where this will go — the targeting of Democrats for mass disenfranchisement. We will sue and we will win,” Marc Elias, a voting rights attorney, said on Tuesday.

North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein blasted the president’s order as illegal in a statement posted to X.

“President Trump’s executive order is an unconstitutional, blatant attempt to restrict access to the ballot box and to take away your right to vote by mail. No one, including the president, can pick their voters,” Stein said.

Democratic North Carolina House Leader ,Rep. Robert Reives, who represents Chatham and Randolph Counties, agreed with Stein in a statement provided to Cardinal & Pine.

“The President’s Executive Order is blatantly unconstitutional and I expect the courts to strike it down. Voters will have their chance to respond to these attempts at disenfranchisement this November and I have no doubt they will reject these efforts to silence their voices,” Reives said.

Congresswoman. Deborah Ross, a Wake County Democrat, said that the order would threaten the ability of North Carolinians across the board to cast their ballot.

“Millions of Americans rely on mail-in voting to make their voices heard – including service members stationed overseas, seniors, people with disabilities, and students voting for the first time,” Ross said in a statement.

In North Carolina, around 25% of mail ballots in 2024 were cast by Republicans, and nine of the 10 counties with the highest mail-in ballot return rate were won by Trump, suggesting his order wouldn’t just disenfranchise Democratic voters, but his own as well. 

The president’s executive order is just his latest effort to influence the outcome of the 2026 elections before a single vote is cast. 

Republicans in the North Carolina General Assembly, under pressure from Trump, redrew the state’s 1st Congressional district, currently held by Democrat Don Davis, to make it a likely Republican pickup in this year’s elections.

Trump has also advocated for the SAVE Act, which would require Americans to provide a document like a birth certificate or passport in order to register to vote, making it harder for tens of millions of Americans to register. 

Trump’s multi-pronged assault on voting rights comes as his approval rating among the American public has dropped to 35% and Republicans look to be headed for massive losses in November.