Former GOP leader warns Trump's mail-in voting push could destabilize elections
Michael Steele says Donald Trump's effort to limit mail-in voting before the 2026 midterms threatens the constitutional balance of election administration.
In a column, Michael Steele warned that Donald Trump's attempt to curb mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterms could fundamentally destabilize the electoral system. Steele highlighted that the president lacks authority to dictate who receives a ballot, a power reserved for state and local officials under constitutional design, with Congress able to set overarching rules. He cited ongoing legal battles, including lower-court injunctions and a Supreme Court decision dismissing a suit as filed too early.
Steele described the proposed use of the U.S. Postal Service as a secretive, rushed effort that would turn routine election administration into disorder. He cautioned that undermining the separation of powers and state autonomy could erode public trust and threaten the very foundation of American democracy.
Why it matters
The claim raises concerns about executive overreach that could alter how U.S. elections are conducted.
How this story developed
- Jul 20 U.S. and Iran intensify air strikes over Strait of Hormuz, diplomacy stalls
- Sep 3 Trump advisers have begun actively lobbying to limit escalation of the Iran war before the midterm elections.
- Sep 3 During a White House briefing, JD Vance said there is no active shooting between U.S. and Iranian forces and described the hostilities as limited flare-ups. He cited past strikes that destroyed Iran’s nuclear facilities and defense industry but refused to set a date for ending the conflict, noting the U.S. must continue protecting commercial shipping. The remarks came after President Donald Trump dismissed recent Iranian attacks as a "love tap" and warned of further strikes.
- Sep 3 The Justice Department petitioned the Supreme Court to suspend a district judge’s order that halted a new USPS regulation tightening mail-in ballot requirements.
- Sep 4 Vance announced the U.S. will not negotiate with Iran until attacks on commercial shipping cease.
- Sep 4 Iran has begun testing methanol as an oxygenate in its gasoline blend.
- Sep 4 The Supreme Court ruled that the lawsuit challenging the ballroom lacks standing, allowing construction to continue.
- Sep 4 The administration filed an emergency petition with the Supreme Court.
- Sep 4 US retail diesel rose to a record, threatening to further spike energy-driven inflation as wars in Iran and Russia roil the market.
- Sep 4 Vance is slated to speak on inflation and Iran at his first press briefing since July.
- Sep 4 The Security Council is set to vote on extending the sanctions expert panel on September 17.
- Sep 5 Judge extended the preliminary injunction blocking the rule.
- Sep 5 Trump said, "A lot of people don't call it a war. I call it a military conflict because it's small potatoes for us. It's not a big thing."
- Sep 5 U.S. forces hit launchers on Larak Island and Iran fired ballistic missiles at U.S. sites in Jordan and the United Arab Emirates.
In this story
Related stories
54 in this thread