Trump wants to stop states from voting by mail and using voting machines

It would also be a logistical stretch to upend how states run their elections as midterm primaries get closer, said Matt Germer, director of [the governance program for] the right-of-center R Street Institute, a Washington-based think tank.

For one, any executive order is likely to face litigation, which could take a while to sort out. And then, states would have to likely pass new laws or implement new voting plans ahead of voting.

“In some places, I think things like restricting voting by mail mechanically would just mean forcing more people to come in and vote in person,” Germer said. “And they need to make sure that they invest the resources in an in-person voting to maybe account for that.”

He said officials would have to find more locations to host polling places. And he said volunteers would need to be trained and facilitate those voting places.

“It would be a huge undertaking and I think realistically it’s highly unlikely that he could end voting by mail or end the use of very particular voting machines in time for 2026 now,” Germer said.