The NPR Politics Podcast Trump tries to shape mail-in voting with executive order
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Apr 2, 2026 Trump’s latest executive order puts mail-in voting, voter eligibility lists, and the Postal Service in the spotlight. The conversation digs into why legal challenges could move fast, why a national voter list looks messy and unrealistic, and how the move could fuel fresh distrust around future elections.
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Why Legal Experts Say This Order Is Unconstitutional
- NPR’s voting team says Trump’s order would create federal citizenship lists and block mailed ballots to anyone not on them, but courts are likely to stop it.
- Hansi Lo Wang says the Constitution gives election-rule power to states and Congress, not the president or USPS.
This Executive Order Repeats A Failed Strategy
- Trump already tried a voting executive order in March last year, and courts blocked major parts for the same basic reason.
- Ashley Lopez and Hansi Lo Wang tie the new order to stalled SAVE Act legislation that lacks a clear Senate path.
A New Federal Fix Can Manufacture Doubt
- The order implies officials need a new fix for citizenship checks, but states already verify voter eligibility through existing systems.
- Miles Parks says proposing a dramatic solution can falsely suggest current election safeguards do not exist.