President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at tightening rules around mail-in voting, including a new requirement that ballots be tracked using bar codes issued through the United States Postal Service.
According to the White House, the order directs that each mail-in ballot envelope include a unique bar code provided by the Postal Service. Officials say the measure is intended to ensure that ballots are sent only to eligible voters and properly returned, creating a more traceable system for absentee voting.
Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said states that use the mail system for voting would be required to incorporate the bar codes on ballot envelopes. He added that the system would allow for “one envelope per vote,” enabling closer tracking of ballots as they move through the mail.
The administration also plans to use federal data to verify voter eligibility, alongside the barcode system, as part of broader efforts to increase oversight of mail-in voting.
The executive order comes despite longstanding practices that give states primary authority over how elections are conducted. It is unclear what legal authority the federal government would rely on to enforce the barcode requirement nationwide, and experts say the move could face court challenges.
Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting and has argued, without evidence, that widespread fraud exists. Election experts, however, have consistently said that voter fraud — particularly involving noncitizens — is extremely rare and already illegal under federal law.
The order is expected to prompt legal scrutiny as states and election officials review how the proposed barcode system would be implemented.
