Trump vows to eliminate mail-in voting before 2026 midterms
US President Donald Trump has denounced mail-in voting, pledging to “lead a movement” to abolish the practice ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
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- Ohio is eliminating the four-day grace period for most mail-in absentee ballots to arrive after Election Day.
- Under the new law, absentee ballots must be received by the time polls close on Election Day to be counted.
- The change aligns Ohio with 36 other states and comes amid a pending U.S. Supreme Court case on ballot deadlines.
- Gov. Mike DeWine said he reluctantly signed the bill to avoid potential issues with the 2026 election.
Ohio is changing the rules for absentee voting ahead of the 2026 election.
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation on Dec. 19 to eliminate the grace period for mailed absentee ballots that arrive after Election Day. The move came as the Trump administration targets mail-in voting and the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear a case over ballot deadlines.
Here’s what you need to know about the change.
How will absentee voting in Ohio be different?
Under current law, officials can accept mail-in ballots that arrive up to four days later if they were postmarked the day before the election. Proponents of the practice say it’s necessary to account for mail delays.
Senate Bill 293 requires absentee ballots to arrive by the close of polls to be counted, with an exception for military and overseas voters. In the November election, about 7,300 of 170,000 mailed ballots arrived after Election Day, according to data from the secretary of state’s office.
The bill also allows the secretary of state’s office to automatically cancel the voter registrations of people who appear to be noncitizens based on state and federal databases.
Why did Ohio lawmakers change the rules?
GOP lawmakers and Secretary of State Frank LaRose said the new deadline will align Ohio with 36 other states that require ballots to arrive by Election Day.
State officials also faced pressure from President Donald Trump, who opposes mail-in voting.
In a letter to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, the Department of Justice said the four-day grace period violates federal law and threatened to sue if it doesn’t change. An attorney for the Brennan Center for Justice, which sued Trump over his executive order on elections, said Ohio didn’t break any rules.
Regardless, the issue could be settled later this year. The U.S. Supreme Court took up a lawsuit that will determine whether mailed ballots must arrive by Election Day. The Republican National Committee sued Mississippi over its grace period before Trump took office, arguing Election Day is a single date.
DeWine supports the four-day window and previously said he didn’t expect more changes to voting while he’s governor. But DeWine said he “reluctantly” signed Senate Bill 293 to prevent problems with the 2026 election, should the Supreme Court decide to abolish grace periods.
“If it wasn’t for the Supreme Court issue, if it wasn’t for this case … I would’ve vetoed this,” he said. “Frankly, I tried to balance those things out, and I came down clearly on the side of certainty and to avoid what could’ve been a real mess leading up to our election.”
What happens next?
Election policy often attracts lawsuits, but it remains to be seen whether one will crop up over Senate Bill 293. The American Civil Liberties Union said it will “remain steadfast in our advocacy for all eligible Ohio voters.”
The law is slated to take effect in mid-March. That means the new deadline will be in place for the May 5 primary.
Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, said the change will hurt Ohioans who rely on voting by mail, particularly seniors, people with disabilities and those who live in rural areas.
“Lawmakers should be focused on strengthening Ohio’s election infrastructure and encouraging more Ohioans to participate in our elections,” Miller said. “Not creating new obstacles.”
State government reporter Haley BeMiller can be reached at [email protected] or @haleybemiller on X.
