PALM BEACH, Fla. — President Donald Trump participated in an upcoming Florida special election by casting a mail-in ballot, according to public records from Palm Beach County, even as he continued to publicly denounce the voting method as a form of cheating.
The ballot was received and counted by election officials in Palm Beach County, where Trump is registered to vote, ahead of Tuesday's slate of state legislative elections to fill vacant seats. The records do not specify how the ballot was delivered to officials, but it aligns with early voting that concluded on Sunday. Trump spent the weekend in Palm Beach, his residence, before returning to Washington.
On Monday, while speaking in Memphis, Tennessee, Trump reiterated his long-standing criticism of mail-in voting. "Mail-in voting means mail-in cheating. I call it mail-in cheating, and we got to do something about it all," he said, using rhetoric that has defined his stance on election integrity since his 2020 presidential defeat.
This is not the first instance of Trump using mail-in voting despite his objections. In 2020, he also cast a mail ballot for Florida's general election while campaigning against the practice nationwide. At the time, when asked by NBC News how he reconciled the two, Trump explained, "You know why I voted? Because I happened to be in the White House and I won't be able to go to Florida and vote." He added, "There's a big difference between somebody who is out of state and does a ballot and everything is sealed and certified and everything else."
Trump went on to claim, without evidence, that widespread fraud occurred through mail ballots signed in living rooms. NPR reported then that his 2020 ballot had been hand-delivered by a third party. Trump has since blamed the expansion of mail-in voting during the COVID-19 pandemic for his loss in that election, though numerous investigations and court cases have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud in American elections.
The White House addressed the latest development in a statement from spokeswoman Olivia Wales. "As President Trump has said, the SAVE America Act has commonsense exceptions for Americans to use mail-in ballots for illness, disability, military, or travel — but universal mail-in voting should not be allowed because it’s highly susceptible to fraud," Wales said. "As everyone knows, the President is a resident of Palm Beach and participates in Florida elections, but he obviously primarily lives at the White House in Washington, D.C. This is a non-story."
Trump's comments on Monday came as he promoted the SAVE America Act, a bill he has pushed in Congress to overhaul federal elections. The legislation would require voter ID and documentary proof of citizenship for federal elections nationwide, including photocopies of photo IDs submitted with mail ballots. Contrary to Trump's public suggestions that it would end mail voting, the bill includes exceptions for specific circumstances and would not eliminate the practice entirely.
The measure is currently stalled in the Senate, where it lacks the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster under current rules. Trump has stated he would not sign any election-related bill until the SAVE America Act reaches his desk. In his State of the Union address earlier this year, Trump called for "no more crooked mail-in ballots" and declared, "Cheating is rampant in our elections."
Trump has also posted on social media, including Truth Social, limiting mail-in voting to cases of “ILLNESS, DISABILITY, MILITARY, OR TRAVEL!” During his Memphis remarks, he repeated a false claim, saying it was "brought to my attention today that we’re the only country that does mail-in voting." In fact, voters in at least 32 countries cast ballots by mail, according to the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance, a Swedish organization that tracks global electoral practices.
Mail ballots in the U.S. are verified through various state-specific methods, often involving signature matching against voter registration records. Florida's special elections on Tuesday include a contest in the state House district encompassing Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate. Trump won that district by about 11 percentage points in the 2024 presidential race, according to data from The Downballot, a political analysis site.
Trump endorsed Republican candidate Jon Maples in the race and urged supporters to "get out and vote" on Truth Social earlier this month. Maples is facing Democrat Emily Gregory in the election to fill the vacant seat. The district's outcome could contribute to the ongoing shifts in state legislatures since Trump returned to the White House.
Since the start of Trump's second term, Democrats have flipped nine state legislative seats in special elections across the country. This follows gains they achieved in regularly scheduled legislative elections in New Jersey and Virginia last year, highlighting competitive dynamics in off-year races.
Trump's participation in the Florida vote underscores the tension between his personal actions and his broader political messaging on election security. While he has made mail-in voting a cornerstone of his fraud allegations, his own use of the method for convenience — citing his primary residence in Washington, D.C. — illustrates the practical realities for many voters, including high-profile figures.
Election officials in Palm Beach County have not commented further on Trump's ballot, but the process follows standard procedures for absentee voting in the state. As special elections proceed Tuesday, observers will watch for turnout and results that could signal voter sentiment in Trump strongholds.
Looking ahead, the debate over mail-in voting is likely to intensify as midterm elections approach. With the SAVE America Act facing hurdles, any movement on election reforms could reshape how millions of Americans cast their ballots, balancing accessibility against security concerns raised by Trump and his allies.