When President Donald Trump declared that Republicans should “nationalize” or “take over” the 2026 midterm elections, it wasn’t just a flippant remark. It was an unconstitutional red flag and part of a decade-long pattern in which Trump has undermined confidence in American elections.

Tuesday's executive order targeting mail voting was just the latest example. The order aims to dictate how local officials run elections in their own communities and would fundamentally alter the voting process nationwide, potentially disenfranchising millions of voters. It directs the Department of Homeland Security to create a purported "State Citizenship List." It also bars the U.S. Postal Service from delivering ballots to any voters not on a federal list, and even encourages the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute local election officials who break from the White House.

Each and every part of the order attempts to seize power from the states and hand it over to a single man. That's not how American elections work—not now, not ever.

Let’s be clear: states run elections. Period. Our system of voting is intentionally decentralized, a cornerstone of America's tradition of checks and balances. This ensures elections and are run by state and local officials who know what works best for their communities.

The president has no constitutional authority over state-run elections, yet President Trump has........

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