Trump Voted by Mail in Florida's Primary While Pushing Congress to Sharply Limit Mail Voting

Politico reported on Aug. 17, 2026 that Palm Beach County records showed President Trump cast a mail ballot in Florida's primary, which included the governor's race. PolitiFact reported the next day that an Aug. 18 search of the county elections website showed his record as 'protected from public disclosure'; a county spokesperson cited a state law limiting disclosure. The White House did not deny that Trump voted by mail, calling it a 'non-story.' He also voted by mail in a March special election.

Trump is pressing Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require documentary proof of citizenship to register and government-issued ID to vote. He wanted it to restrict mail voting; it passed the House in February and stalled in the Senate. White House spokesperson Olivia Wales said the bill has 'commonsense exceptions' for illness, disability, military service or travel, but that 'universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because it's highly susceptible to fraud.'

Court records and studies show only a tiny fraction of mailed ballots are fraudulent. Florida adopted no-excuse absentee voting after the 2000 recount, and in 2024 more Republicans than Democrats there voted by mail. His mail-voting order remains in litigation.