Minnesota election official weighs in on Trump’s vow to end mail-in voting

(FOX 9) - President Donald Trump vowed Monday to lead what he calls "a movement" to eliminate mail-in voting.

Trump said he is working with attorneys on drafting an executive order towards his goal ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.

Election law experts and Minnesota election officials point to the U.S. Constitution and say a president is not given the authority to change election law.

The backstory:

Trump posted a similar message earlier on Monday on social media and said his reason for this pledge is a matter of election integrity.

"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," said Trump.

How can this be achieved?

Fact check:

An election law expert said only Congress can change how federal elections are run.

"States basically operate both the state and federal, but the U.S. government under the Constitution has some authority to be able to regulate the time, place, and manner of federal elections," said David Schultz, political science professor at Hamline University and law professor at University of St. Thomas. "Could Congress pass a law that basically bans mail-in voting for federal elections. The answer is yes. But notice what I said, is that Congress would have to a law to be able to do that. The president can’t issue an executive order. Could Congress pass a law that prevents states from using mail-in ballots in their own elections, the answer is no."

Local perspective:

Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon addressed some of Trump’s remarks in a statement sent to FOX 9.

"The U.S. Constitution gives states full control of the time, place, and manner of elections – subject only to action by Congress. A President has no power to grab election authority from states.

"America’s elections are run largely by local communities. This choice is intentional to ensure that towns, cities, and counties have full control over who represents them. The people who do the work of administering elections are our neighbors and friends, each of whom takes an oath to follow the law, prevent fraud, and conduct their work in a fair and impartial manner. These local election administrators register voters, create ballots, count ballots, and so much more. Once their work is complete on election night, they report the results to our office. Our office never touches a ballot during an election."

Simon also responded to Trump’s mention of voter fraud.

"Every election cycle, everywhere, Minnesota included, you’re going to have a very few bad apples who do the wrong thing and engage in some sort of misconduct, but man it is a microscopic level. We know that because we get all the reports, by law, from all of the prosecutors," said Simon.

Simon addressed Trump’s statement about the prevalence of mail-in voting.

"Just about the only country in the world that uses it," said Trump.

"There are dozens of countries around the world from Japan, Australia, New Zealand, most of Western Europe that use and have the option of mail in balloting," said Simon.

Secretary Simon also responded to Trump’s concerns about voting machines. Simon said electronic tabulating equipment gets certified by both state and federal authorities and is more accurate than hand counting. Plus, in Minnesota, paper ballots are used to check the accuracy of machine results, and paper ballots are kept for two years after every election.

What they're saying:

Donna Bergstrom, Deputy Chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota sent FOX 9 this statement.

"President Trump is right to shine a spotlight on the flaws and vulnerabilities of mail-in voting. Election integrity is the foundation of our representative democracy, and Minnesotans deserve to know that their vote is secure and accurately counted. Even Democrats like Amy Klobuchar and Angie Craig have admitted Minnesota’s mail system is unreliable—you can’t even depend on getting your electric bill on time, so why would we turn the integrity of our elections over to that same broken system?

"At the same time, we recognize that in a few remote areas of Minnesota, mail-in ballots are the only option because of the distance from polling places, and as a retired United States Marine, I know that our military members deserve access to voting and sometimes this is their only option. But those are specialized exceptions."

The other side:

In response to Trump’s comments on mail-in ballots, Senator Amy Klobuchar (DFL-Minnesota) posted a statement on social media.

"Mail-in voting is safe and secure, which is why President Trump and Republicans in Congress have repeatedly endorsed it. Elections are run by the states, not the president. We will stand up to any attempt to undermine our democracy."