Mail Voting Remains Popular Despite Trump’s Executive Order \ Newslooks \ Washington DC \ Mary Sidiqi \ Evening Edition \ A U.S. Election Assistance Commission report shows mail ballots, early in-person voting, and drop boxes remained widely used in 2024 despite criticism and legal challenges led by President Trump. Mail voting stayed around 30% of the total, early voting surged to 35%, and drop boxes returned nearly 15 million ballots. The data highlights entrenched public trust in alternative voting methods across party lines.
Quick Looks
- 158 million ballots counted; turnout 3% below 2020, 4% above 2016
- Mail voting stable at ~30%, down from 43% in 2020 but above historical norms
- Four states—WA, IN, SD, UT—saw increased mail use in 2024
- Trump’s “all ballots by Election Day” order faces lawsuits from mail-vote states
- Early, in-person voting rose from 35% in 2024 vs. 49% on Election Day in 2022
- GOP-backed push to early vote credited with aiding Trump’s reelection
- Drop boxes used in 35 states + DC; 45% of mail ballots returned this way
- CA, KS, NV, UT saw double-digit drop-box growth between 2022–2024
Deep Look
Despite President Donald Trump’s continued efforts to restrict mail voting through executive action, millions of Americans across political lines continued to embrace alternative voting methods in the 2024 presidential election, according to a newly released report from the U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The report reveals that mail-in ballots, early in-person voting, and secure ballot drop boxes all played a critical role in how voters cast their ballots last November—reflecting a sustained demand for voting flexibility even amid growing political tension and legal constraints.
The findings, compiled from state-submitted local data, highlight a resilient commitment to convenience-based voting options. More than 158 million ballots were counted in the 2024 election, a turnout that, while down 3 percentage points from the record-setting 2020 cycle, was still nearly 4 points higher than 2016. This confirms that voter participation remains high, even in a politically volatile environment.
Mail Voting Holds Strong Despite Federal Pushback
Roughly 30% of voters in the 2024 election used mail ballots. While this is a decline from the 43% who voted by mail during the COVID-19-affected 2020 election, it is still significantly higher than pre-pandemic norms, when mail voting typically hovered around 25%. Mail ballots have maintained popularity across party lines, with states as diverse as Democratic-leaning Washington and Republican-leaning Indiana, South Dakota, and Utah all reporting increased mail-in ballot usage compared to four years prior.
President Trump, now in his second non-consecutive term, has long criticized mail-in voting as a potential source of fraud—despite a lack of credible evidence supporting such claims. In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order requiring that all mail ballots must be received by Election Day to be counted, a stark change from current laws in 18 states and Puerto Rico, which allow ballots postmarked by Election Day to be counted if they arrive later.
The order is now the subject of multiple lawsuits, including a high-profile challenge from Oregon and Washington, where elections are conducted almost entirely by mail. In a press conference announcing the legal challenge, Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs warned that the executive order could result in over 300,000 ballots being discarded in his state alone due to late arrival despite timely postmarks.
Early In-Person Voting Gains Ground
The report also showed a marked decline in traditional Election Day voting, dropping to 37% of ballots cast in 2024—down from 49% in the 2022 midterms. In contrast, 35% of voters chose to cast their ballots early and in person. The increase in early in-person voting was particularly notable in states like Republican-led South Carolina and Democratic-leaning Delaware, where early access to polling was promoted across party lines.
This shift reflects a broader effort among Republican operatives to undo past resistance to early voting. Following criticism of mail voting in previous cycles, the GOP recalibrated its strategy, launching extensive campaigns to encourage its base to vote early in person to avoid Election Day uncertainties. Analysts believe this change played a key role in Trump securing a second term in 2024, particularly in battleground states.
Ballot Drop Boxes Retain Broad Popularity
Ballot drop boxes, the subject of fierce right-wing conspiracy theories since 2020, remained widely used where they were still permitted. The report found that 35 states and the District of Columbia made drop boxes available in 2024. In these jurisdictions, approximately 15 million mail ballots—or about 45% of all mail-in votes—were returned via secure drop boxes.
Despite Republican-led efforts in several states to restrict or eliminate drop box access, their popularity has persisted. Of the states that reported comparative data for 2022 and 2024, California, Kansas, Nevada, and Utah each saw double-digit percentage increases in ballots returned via drop boxes. This trend indicates that when offered, voters of all political affiliations continue to trust and prefer the option.
Voter Behavior Now Centered on Flexibility
Election experts believe the report solidifies a major long-term shift in American voting behavior. David Levine, a senior fellow at the University of Maryland’s Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement, noted, “Notwithstanding the rhetoric from some, our election process continues to reflect the expectations voters have about where, when, and how to vote. Once voters try voting before Election Day, they often continue to do so for future elections.”
This data underscores that even under restrictive federal policies and ongoing legal uncertainty, millions of Americans continue to prioritize voting access and convenience. The growing reliance on early voting and mail-in ballots—particularly in states not typically considered liberal strongholds—suggests a fundamental change in how the electorate engages with the democratic process.
As legal battles over voting rights and methods continue into the 2026 midterm season, the pressure is mounting on lawmakers, courts, and election officials to reconcile evolving voter habits with policy frameworks increasingly shaped by partisan politics. The outcome could determine not only how Americans vote but also who is allowed to vote—and which votes ultimately count.
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