President Donald Trump was right when he recently warned about the dangers of mail-in voting. He has consistently sounded the alarm that if America is going to restore trust in its elections, we must stop pretending that mailing millions of ballots across the country is somehow safe, secure, or trustworthy.
I will never forget that when I returned from serving overseas and I was cleaning out my mailbox, I discovered that I had 4 different mail-in ballots in my mailbox and not a single one had my name on it. That was alarming.
The American people deserve elections they can believe in, and mail-in ballots undermine that basic principle.
Let us start with a simple truth; our democracy is only as strong as the people’s faith in it. When voters doubt whether the outcome is legitimate our institutions weaken. Today, too many Americans question whether their vote counts, and mail-in voting is a leading cause.
Unlike the secure process of showing up to the polls, presenting identification, and casting a ballot under the watchful eye of election officials, mail-in voting opens the door to chaos, fraud, and manipulation.
Arizona’s elections provide the most glaring example of how mail-in ballots create distrust and uncertainty.
Reports out of Maricopa County revealed widespread issues with signature verification, ballot chain of custody, and ballots counted without proper oversight. Whistleblowers from within Arizona’s election system have testified that tens of thousands of ballots were counted despite obvious discrepancies.
Even if every allegation cannot be proven in a courtroom, the evidence is strong enough to destroy voter confidence. That is the point. Mail-in voting in Arizona created suspicion and division, not trust and unity.
Mail-in voting also robs Americans of the timely results they deserve. In 2020, states that embraced mass mail-in voting left citizens waiting days, even weeks, for results. Ballots trickled in after Election Day fueling suspicion and undermining confidence in the process.
Despite the fact that absentee voters already have a full month to cast their ballots, some jurisdictions still allow ballots that arrive after Election Day to be counted. This practice only fuels suspicion and sows further distrust in our elections, as Americans watch results shift long after the polls have closed.
Compare that with states that prioritize in-person voting and require absentee ballots to be requested with valid identification. Their results are faster, cleaner, and trusted by the public.
Opponents of election integrity claim mail-in ballots are necessary for accessibility. However, that is a false choice. Every state already provides for absentee ballots under their rules for those who truly cannot make it to the polls such as our military serving overseas, the sick, and those with disabilities.
That method is not only based on common-sense and compassion; it recognizes our obligation to provide accommodations to ensure that every legal voter has reasonable access to the ballot box.
What is not common sense is flooding neighborhoods with ballots that anyone could intercept and misuse. What is not compassionate is robbing legal voters of their votes by diluting the ballot box with illegally cast votes.
We must also be clear-eyed about who benefits from the mail-in ballot free-for-all. It is not ordinary citizens, but political machines. It allows armies of operatives to help people fill out ballots to target vulnerable communities with aggressive harvesting and to exploit weaknesses in voter rolls. It transforms elections from the secret-ballot sanctuaries our founders envisioned into contests of ballot collection and legal gamesmanship.
That is why I strongly support President Trump’s call to end the reckless experiment of mass mail-in voting and return to secure in-person elections. Every American should show up, show identification, and cast their ballot under fair and equal rules. Absentee ballots should remain available but only with strict safeguards. That means a verified request, voter ID, signature matching, and clear deadlines so ballots do not linger in limbo.
That is also why I introduced the PROVE Act. The Proving Residency for Overseas Voter Eligibility Act amends federal law to require non-military overseas (UOCAVA) voters to prove current state residency before casting ballots. This measure closes loopholes that allow ballots to be cast without verified ties to a voting jurisdiction and ensures that every vote counted reflects someone's actual stake in its outcome.
Restoring election integrity is not just about 2024 or 2026. It is about the survival of our republic. If half the country believes elections are rigged or manipulated, we cannot function as a united nation. Our adversaries abroad including China, Russia, and Iran want nothing more than to see Americans lose faith in their system. Mail-in ballots play directly into their hands by creating doubt and division.
We have a choice. We can continue down the dangerous road of mass mail-in voting, where fraud is easier to commit, harder to detect, and nearly impossible to prosecute. Or we can choose the path of integrity - one citizen - one vote - cast in person. Transparent. Accountable. Secure.
President Trump is leading the fight for honest elections. As a member of Congress. I will continue to do everything in my power to end mass mail-in voting, strengthen voter ID laws, implement the PROVE Act, and restore confidence in our democratic process. America cannot afford anything less.
When future generations look back, I want them to see that we stood firm when our elections were under attack from within. Because if we lose faith in our vote, we lose America itself. We cannot allow this to happen.