TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It’s a proposal that could impact millions of voters across Florida: President Donald Trump has vowed to “lead a movement” to eliminate mail-in ballots, calling them corrupt and promising an executive order to ban their use.
“We're going to start with an executive order that's being written right now by the best lawyers in the country to end mail-in ballots because they're corrupt,” Trump said this week.
Experts quickly pushed back, noting that the U.S. Constitution gives states — not the federal government — authority over elections. Still, Democrats were alarmed by the pledge, condemning it as a way to cheat in 2026.
WATCH: Florida GOP caught between Trump and tradition on mail ballots
“Trump is deeply UNPOPULAR,” said US Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL9) in an online post. “So is the #BigUglyLaw. Jobs are tanking, prices are rising, and the Epstein scandal continues. So he will try to CHEAT any way he can. We must be strong and ready to stop him.”
Some Florida voters also expressed concern the move would strip away an essential option for seniors and people with disabilities.
“My mom is on a walker, she can’t stand in a line that long or if they get too long— or wherever they go. So, why take that option away from those people?” said Erika Lewis of Tallahassee.
“I feel like he shouldn't do that, because a lot of people, they can't go in person to vote,” said Jenice White of Tallahassee.
“I think vote by mail is a way that makes voting accessible to everyone,” added Dia Neal, also of Tallahassee.
In 2024, more than three million Floridians voted by mail, including more than a million Republicans. Trump himself has previously cast ballots that way.
Florida GOP Chair Evan Power defended the state’s system.
“If we're doing mail-in voting, Florida does it correctly,” he said. But when pressed on whether the legislature should roll it back, Power responded: “I mean, that's a discussion we need to have, but I will tell you from a party standpoint, is we're going to play by the rules that they give us, and I'll compete on every front while they're available to me.”
Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL) downplayed Trump’s remarks, saying the president wasn’t targeting Florida but instead Dem-led states with looser ballot rules.
“So I've talked to the President,” DeSantis said Tuesday. “He's a Florida voter and what he means by vote by mail, I think just in my conversations, is the states like California and Nevada and others, where they just send all these ballots out into the ether, basically.”
At a White House briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt offered few details on the President’s plan.
“The White House continues to work on this,” she said. “When Congress comes back to Washington, I'm sure there will be many discussions with our friends on Capitol Hill and also our friends in state legislatures…”
Florida lawmakers have already tightened vote-by-mail rules in recent years, including stricter ID requirements, requiring ballot requests every two years, and limiting who can collect and submit ballots. Congress returns from recess next month, while Florida’s next legislative session begins in January.
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