President Donald Trump said Monday in a Truth Social post that he will “lead a movement” to abolish mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines and will sign an executive order intended to take effect before the November 2026 midterm elections. He called the machines “highly inaccurate, very expensive and seriously controversial” and said water-marked paper ballots counted on election night would restore faith in U.S. elections. Trump asserted the United States is the only nation still relying on mail-in voting and argued that states are “merely an agent for the federal government” in tallying votes. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin endorsed his view during their meeting last week in Alaska. Election-law scholars immediately challenged the proposal, noting that the Constitution gives states primary authority over the “time, place and manner” of elections, with Congress—not the president—empowered to override state rules. A March executive order in which Trump tried to tighten voting requirements has already been blocked in federal court, and legal experts expect fresh challenges if a new order is issued. Mail-in ballots accounted for about 30% of votes cast in the 2024 general election, down from 43% in 2020, according to the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. Several Republican-controlled states, including Florida and Utah, continue to promote mail voting as a secure way to expand access, underscoring divisions within Trump’s party over the practice. Trump’s renewed attack on absentee voting continues unfounded claims of widespread fraud in the 2020 election, allegations that have been rejected by multiple courts and by his own Justice Department in 2020. Any executive order seeking to nullify state voting methods is expected to spark swift litigation from states and voting-rights groups.