RNC Says It Won’t Defy Trump On Mail-In Voting Despite Legacy Media Reports
The Republican National Committee told the Daily Caller it is not considering using mail-in voting, despite reports that the party may break with President Donald Trump to do so.
The GOP plans to push mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, Politico reported Wednesday. Since the 2020 election, Trump has often deplored the method of voting and dissuaded his voters from voting by mail. The RNC told the caller it was not breaking with Trump on the issue. (RELATED: EXCLUSIVE: RNC responds to 28 bomb threats and nearly 500 tips regarding suspicious election activity)
“The RNC’s mission is to protect the vote and ensure voting by building voter confidence. Our election integrity work has strengthened Republican turnout by addressing concerns about security, and this cycle we are once again ensuring that every ballot is secure and correctly counted,” GOP press secretary Kiersten Pels told the caller.
A source close to the party’s strategy told the Caller that as long as mail-in voting was an option, they would encourage Americans to vote by any means possible, but rejected that they were “leaning” toward the voting method in any way. The source added that, as the White House had previously announced, it is possible that the president could sign an executive order on such voting methods that could change his strategy.
During the 2024 election campaign, Trump often encouraged his voters to vote that the election was “too important to rig.” His RNC did the same, balancing election integrity measures to ensure fair elections while emphasizing that it is important that Americans actually vote, regardless of the method used.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters in November that the president and his team were considering an executive order banning mail-in voting.
A poll worker walks past voting booths as New Yorkers participate in early voting at a polling location in Brooklyn on October 29, 2024 in New York. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The source also pointed out to the caller the party’s numerous lawsuits regarding mail-in voting and trying to make the method more secure. Such measures are consistent with the party’s approach to election integrity and ensuring that if Americans choose to vote by mail, it will be secure, the source added.
Over the past year, the RNC has filed several lawsuits related to the regulation of mail-in voting. The Supreme Court agreed in November to hear one of the party’s lawsuits that debates whether federal law requires mail-in ballots to be received by Election Day.
The source close to Republican Party strategy told the Caller that many Trump voters already distrust mail-in ballots, making it difficult and unproductive to adopt that method.
Politico reported that the RNC plans to build on its 2024 campaign to promote early mail-in and in-person voting. The party has encouraged early in-person voting in the 2024 presidential election and in Tennessee’s special election for a congressional seat.
During the race, a party official told the caller that it had launched a large-scale mail-in effort targeting Republicans, independents and low-propensity voters, in conjunction with the state GOP. Mailers sent to voters’ homes and obtained by the caller encouraged early voting in the same way the party approached the 2024 election.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event at Mount Airy Casino Resort December 9, 2025 in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Some sections of the state have told Politico they plan to push mail-in voting ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
“We need to encourage people to embrace mail-in voting and early voting,” Pennsylvania Republican Party Chairman Greg Rothman told the news outlet in an interview. “This must be a priority for us in 2026.”
