Donald Trump recently declared on TruthSocial that he plans to “lead a movement to get rid of mail-in ballots.” He claimed that “ELECTIONS CAN NEVER BE HONEST WITH MAIL IN BALLOTS/VOTING, and everybody, IN PARTICULAR THE DEMOCRATS, KNOWS THIS.”
In truth, vote-by-mail is a bulwark of American democracy.
Trump’s efforts to end vote-by-mail are an extension of hisefforts to control the nation’s elections apparatus in advance of the 2026 midterms and to tilt the system in his favor. And if he succeeds, he could disenfranchise the millions of Americans – including seniors and people with disabilities – who depend on vote by mail to participate in elections.
In this episode of the Washington Monthly podcast, Anne Kim and Garrett Epps spoke with Phil Keisling, the former Oregon Secretary of State who pioneered modern systems of vote by mail and the founder of the National Vote at Home Institute.
Chapters
00:00 Understanding Vote by Mail
08:42 Debunking Myths: Fraud and Partisan Advantage
16:28 The Impact of Mail-in Voting on Turnout
24:47 Addressing Voter Suppression and Access
30:50 Empowering Citizens: Actions to Preserve Voting Access