President Donald Trump on Truth Social last week announced an intention to "lead a movement" to end the use of mail-in voting and voting machines ahead of next year's midterms.
Voting machines are more expensive and less accurate than paper ballots, he claimed without evidence, and also falsely accused mail-in ballots of leading to fraud. Both of those claims are inaccurate, although Trump has long spread false information about election security.
In Kansas and Missouri, voting machines go through logic and accuracy testing before each election, and nationwide, rates of voter fraud are low.
Any executive order banning these voting methods would likely face a legal battle. Legal experts say that Trump does not have the authority to tell states how to run their elections.
But if it were to happen, it could mean lower turnout, longer lines at the ballot box or slower election results, said Johnson County Election Commissioner Fred Sherman.
It would also require more resources, something Sherman experienced during a recount by hand in 2022, after Kansas voted to protect the right to an abortion.
"We probably had 80 to 120 people help us daily to go through that hand counting process. But it was long,10-12, hour days, working through the process in a windowless warehouse. It was very exhausting work to get that done," he told KCUR's Up To Date.
Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins ran for his position last year on a platform of hand-counting ballots. He believes that Missouri elections are secure, but changes like these create more confidence in results.
"I've always said I believe the most secure elections are in person on election day with a photo ID and a paper ballot, and that's the ultimate, I think, would be the ultimate way to run our elections," Hoskins said.
- Missouri Secretary of State Denny Hoskins
- Fred Sherman, Johnson County Election Commissioner
