Summary
Overview
The episode examines President Trump's controversial executive order that would require the Postal Service to restrict mail-in voting just weeks before the midterm elections. Reporter Nick Corasaniti explains how this unprecedented move has created legal chaos, with 24 Democratic states suing and the matter heading to the Supreme Court. The order threatens to eliminate mail voting for states that don't comply with new ballot design requirements and voter data uploads, creating widespread confusion among voters and election officials even as early voting begins.
The Current State of Mail Voting and Trump's Executive Order
With early voting already underway in some states, the Trump administration has issued an executive order that fundamentally changes the Postal Service's role in elections. The order requires states to upload voter eligibility lists to a Postal Service portal and comply with strict ballot design requirements. If states don't comply, they could lose access to mail voting entirely—a system that now accounts for nearly 30% of votes cast and is the primary voting method in eight states.
- Early voting has already begun, with North Carolina and Delaware sending out mail ballots on Friday
- The executive order turns the Postal Service into an arbiter of which states can have mail voting
- Nearly 30% of Americans cast ballots by mail in 2024, with eight states conducting elections almost entirely by mail
- If states don't upload voter data to a new Postal Service portal, they could lose all mail voting access
" Turning the Postal Service, which we usually think of as kind of a neutral player in our election system, literally the people who carry the votes to the people who need them and then bring them back to the election offices, turning that into an organization that gets to decide if your vote ever counts. "
" The president himself has said if we can limit mail voting or restrict these mail ballots, then that'll help Republicans win. "
Constitutional Issues and State Resistance
Twenty-four Democratic states immediately sued, arguing the executive order is unconstitutional because the Constitution grants the executive branch zero explicit authority over elections. Beyond legal concerns, states face impossible practical challenges: they must redesign ballots, create new databases, and overhaul election systems with less than 60 days before the election, while the Postal Service hasn't even created the portal they're supposed to upload data into.
- The Constitution grants the executive branch zero explicit authority over elections—this power is reserved for states
- Twenty-four states controlled by Democrats sued, calling it an unconstitutional overreach and power grab
- States face extreme practical limitations: elections are underfunded with thin staff and can't make major changes this close to election day
- No front-facing Postal Service portal exists yet for states to upload voter lists into
" The Constitution grants the executive branch, which includes the president, zero explicit authority over elections. It is left to the states to administer the time, place and manner of elections. "
📚 6 more sections below
Sign up to unlock the complete summary with all insights, key points, and quotes
Get this summary + all future The Daily episodes in your inbox
100% Free • Unsubscribe Anytime
Sign up now and we'll send you the complete summary of this episode, plus get notified when new The Daily episodes are released—delivered straight to your inbox within minutes.