Trump Supporters Demand Emergency Powers to Ban Mail Ballots, EO Draft Order Shows

Pro-Trump activists are circulating a draft executive order that they say could unlock emergency presidential power over U.S. elections, according to The Washington Post.

The conflict is over a claim the draft leans on: that China interfered in the 2020 election, which supporters argue would justify declaring a national emergency tied to voting.

The Post reports the draft is 17 pages and is being promoted by Florida lawyer Peter Ticktin, who said he has had “certain coordination” with White House officials, while declining to give details. A White House official told the Post staff regularly hear from outside advocates, but called any predictions about Trump’s actions “speculation.”

Ticktin and others backing the concept argue an emergency declaration could be used to restrict mail ballots and voting machines, describing them as “vectors” for foreign interference. That legal theory has not been tested in court, and the Post notes Trump has publicly teased unilateral action on election rules if legislation stalls.

Related: Dem Attorneys General Launch “War Games” to Counter Trump Moves on Ballots and Mail Voting

“Under the Constitution, it’s the legislatures and states that really control how a state conducts its elections,” Ticktin told The Washington Post.

Outside legal experts and election-law explainers have long emphasized that federal election timing is set by Congress and carried out by states, leaving no clear mechanism for a president to cancel or postpone national elections by decree.

The idea is gaining oxygen alongside fresh election-security activity: Reuters reported ODNI staff examined voting machines in Puerto Rico for vulnerabilities, while sources said the probe produced no clear evidence of foreign interference claims driving interest in the machines.

For now, the next test is practical: whether the draft order becomes a formal White House proposal, and whether courts—and state election officials—treat emergency-power arguments as enforceable or legally dead on arrival.

Related: California Moves to Ban ICE Agents From Polling Sites Ahead of 2026 Midterms