The President of the United States, Donald Trump, stated on this Monday (18) that he intends to sign an executive order prohibiting mail-in voting and the use of electronic voting machines nationwide before the 2026 legislative elections.
According to g1, Trump used social media to state that he will lead “a movement” against both voting formats. “I will lead a movement to end mail-in voting and also, while we’re at it, the highly ‘inaccurate’, very expensive, and seriously controversial electronic voting machines,” he posted.
Analysts point out that the decision has a strong political impact, as mail-in voting facilitates the participation of low-income workers, who usually have difficulty attending polling stations in person on weekdays. This public, for the most part, is associated with the Democratic electorate.
Trump’s criticisms of electronic voting machines date back to the 2020 election, when he and his allies spread the false narrative that there was electoral fraud that favored Democrat Joe Biden. Despite the lack of evidence, the discourse was central to the political polarization of that period. In 2024, however, Trump won by a wide margin, without questioning the voting system.
The 2026 contest is considered decisive for the Republicans. If they lose seats in Congress, Trump may face difficulties in approving projects from his administration. The president’s base, according to the report, is betting on limiting remote voting mechanisms as a way to strengthen their political advantage.
This is not Trump’s first intervention in the electoral system. In March, he signed a decree requiring proof of citizenship to vote, under the argument of preventing foreign interference in American elections.
On that occasion, the president even praised models adopted in other countries. “India and Brazil, for example, are linking voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-declaration of citizenship,” says the text signed by the White House. Although legislation already prohibited the participation of irregular immigrants and foreigners, Trump claimed that this had occurred in recent years.
Source: www.brasil247.com