Trump Proposed Certified Mail for All Mail Ballots, Report Says

US President Donald Trump, accompanied by US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, addressed reporters after arriving at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, on July 15, 2025. A report from ProPublica indicates that Trump aimed to restrict mail voting through the United States Postal Service (USPS) by requiring all mail ballots to be sent via certified mail, a service that necessitates the recipient's signature upon delivery. This plan was reportedly opposed by some USPS officials, while others chose not to disclose their concerns as Trump pursued an executive order related to voting, which was later blocked by the Supreme Court. The report also highlights Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick's involvement, who was previously considered to lead the USPS before discussions to merge the Postal Service with the Commerce Department ended. Lutnick allegedly assisted in drafting Trump's order, which aimed to give him authority over the implementation of mail voting restrictions. Additionally, Lutnick met with two individuals known for promoting election conspiracies to discuss nationalizing elections and eliminating voting machines. An email from one of these individuals referenced discussions about Executive Order 13873, which could allow Lutnick to revoke the use of critical infrastructure from adversarial nations, potentially forcing states to adopt hand-marked and hand-counted ballots. J. Brian Sikma, a special assistant to Trump, was also involved in creating the mail voting restrictions that were invalidated on September 14.