In the United States, Donald Trump limits mail

In a surprising move, Donald Trump himself voted by mail last week during an election in Florida. However, on Tuesday he signed a decree aimed at tightening the rules around mail-in voting, ahead of the midterm elections in November. Trump claimed that this practice was responsible for fraud, an assertion that has never been supported by evidence.

“I don’t see how this can be challenged in court,” said the American president, who has been protesting for years against an electoral system that he claims is biased against him. Trump has repeatedly expressed a desire to have more control over elections, even though the organization of elections is the responsibility of the individual states, not the federal government, as the midterm legislative elections approach.

A year ago, Trump had already signed a decree aiming to restrict mail-in voting and impose stricter controls on voter lists. Several experts at the time believed that the decree exceeded the executive’s prerogatives.

Overall, Republicans in the United States have criticized mail-in voting, which has become more common in the country due to the Covid-19 pandemic, accusing it of favoring fraud and casting doubt on the fairness of the voting process and results.

These accusations come despite investigations into the 2020 election finding no evidence of widespread fraud. However, for the conservative camp, the main goal is to cast doubt on the voting process so that they can challenge it if the results are unfavorable.

The Brookings Institution, a center-left think tank, analyzed voter data collected by the conservative Heritage Foundation and found only 39 cases of fraud out of over 100 million ballots cast over three decades.

The US Supreme Court debated in mid-March on the use of mail-in voting, specifically on the issue of ballots received after election day but postmarked on or before the voting day. The Court is expected to make a decision by the end of its annual session in late June, which could apply to the midterm elections in November 2026.