President Donald Trump is launching one of the boldest election reform efforts in American history, declaring that mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines must be scrapped before the 2026 midterms.

In a fiery announcement Monday, Trump said he would issue an executive order aimed at wiping out mail-in ballots and replacing voting machines with secure paper ballots. His reasoning: the systems are both “inaccurate” and “a proven scam.”

“Democrats are virtually unelectable without using this completely disproven Mail-In SCAM,” Trump wrote. He argued that America’s elections can never truly be honest until both mail-in voting and machines are gone.

The announcement comes just 10 days after two Michigan city councilmen were charged with absentee ballot fraud. It also follows reports from FBI Director Kash Patel confirming intelligence about Chinese Communist Party efforts to produce fake driver’s licenses to facilitate fraudulent ballots in 2020.

Customs and Border Protection backed up those fears, reporting nearly 20,000 counterfeit driver’s licenses seized in the first half of 2020 alone. Critics say such documents can easily be used to fuel fraudulent mail-in ballot schemes.

Politically, Democrats have long benefited from mail-in voting while Republicans dominate in-person voting. In 2024, 62% of Republicans surveyed said absentee ballots should only be allowed with documented reasons, compared to just 17% of Democrats. Nearly 15 million mail-in ballots were returned at drop boxes that year.

Trump blasted those numbers as proof of an election system stacked against Republicans. He pointed to countries that have ditched mail-in voting because of “massive voter fraud encountered” and insisted America must follow suit.

He also took aim at voting machines, calling them “seriously controversial” and far too expensive compared to simple paper ballots with security watermarks. “They cost ten times more than accurate and sophisticated Watermark Paper, which is faster and leaves NO DOUBT at the end of the evening as to who WON, and who LOST,” Trump said.

The constitutional fight will be fierce. Elections are largely controlled by state legislatures, but the Elections Clause gives Congress authority to make or alter regulations. Trump’s announcement signals he will push Republicans in Congress to act, while also moving forward with executive power.

Support from conservatives came swiftly. Rep. Troy Nehls of Texas wrote, “We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our elections. No more mail-in ballots!” Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray echoed the sentiment, calling Trump’s plan “common sense.”

Democrats and media outlets are already bracing for impact, blasting the initiative as voter suppression. But Trump and his allies say this is about restoring faith in democracy itself.

By making election integrity his next big push, Trump is once again reshaping the battlefield. The fight over how Americans vote — and who controls the system — is about to take center stage ahead of the 2026 midterms.