18 rumors about mail-in ballots, examined

U.S. President Donald Trump, who has attempted to restrict mail-in ballots, often makes misleading claims about the voting method. Published Sept. 12, 2026 As the 2026 midterm election season gets underway, state election officials are still sending ballots to voters amid a court fight over U.S. President Donald Trump's executive order attempting to restrict mail-in voting. Trump has railed against mail-in ballots since he began falsely claiming he lost the 2020 election to former President Joe Biden due to fraud — even though Trump has a history of voting by mail, including during his second term. Snopes has fact-checked numerous claims the president and his supporters have made about the security of mail-in ballots, as well as claims about how to vote by mail and various instances of supposed vote-by-mail fraud. Here are 18 rumors we've looked into about mail-in ballots: Sources Deng, Rae. "Why SAVE America Act Could Change How You Vote If It Passes US Senate." Snopes, 19 Mar. 2026, https://www.snopes.com//tracker/senate-vote-save-america-act/.Evon, Dan. "Has President Trump Ever Voted by Mail?" Snopes, 21 May 2020, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/trump-ever-voted-by-mail/.Izzo, Jack. "There's Still No Evidence of Systematic Voter Fraud in the 2020 Election." Snopes, 27 June 2024, https://www.snopes.com//collections/no-systematic-voter-fraud-2020/.Kasprak, Alex. "Were 10M Mail-In Ballots 'Lost' During California's 2022 Midterms?" Snopes, 20 Jan. 2023, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/pilf-california-mail-in-ballots-2022/.Lee, Jessica. "Do Mail-In Ballots Increase Risk of Voter Fraud?" Snopes, 26 May 2020, https://www.snopes.com//fact-check/mail-in-ballot-voter-fraud/.Rankin, Sarah. "Midterm Mail Ballots Start to Go to Voters as Litigation over Trump's Order Creates Uncertainty." Associated Press , 4 Sept. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/mail-voting-ballots-trump-north-carolina-36353407257c253179dec1eaa1254f61."Trump Casts Florida Mail Ballot as He Pushes Congress to Severely Limit That Voting Option." AP News, 24 Mar. 2026, https://apnews.com/article/donald-trump-vote-by-mail-bd52fd205f4484237d5b77d2e7319350. By Rae Deng Rae Deng specializes in government/politics and is based in Tacoma, Wash. Article Tags