Mail-in ballots for the 2026 elections have already been sent out to voters.
Posted by The Lawfare Podcast, Checked
- Sources
- 3 support2 context
- Said
- 1 time·
- Confidence
- 80%
The Lawfare PodcastSep 14, 2026
As of 2026-09-14, the claim that mail-in ballots for the 2026 elections had already gone out is supported. A September 12 USA Today report says midterm ballots were already being mailed, with 20 states sending mail-in ballots in the next week or having already started, and North Carolina began mail voting on September 4.
A guest makes this claim. Listeners heard it, so it counts against the post, and on the guest's own record.
This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.
What was said
… I think the very fact that you are asking it is distressing. As far as this executive order goes, the reason I would say that is that I think that there is already a certain degree of chaos that has been created here, and, you know, there are already elections, there are already mail-in ballots that have gone out, there are already some places that are trying to comply, there are other places where they don't know whether they can comply, there are voters who are concerned about whether they can vote by mail and would like to vote by mail, and I think that that is …
The Lawfare Podcast · · from the transcriptPost →What we found
Supports. USA Today (Sept 12, 2026) reports that midterm ballots are already being mailed to voters, and that 20 states send mail-in ballots in the next week or already have, per NCSL.[3]
Supports. USA Today reports mail-in voting began in North Carolina on September 4, before the claim's date, with Wisconsin, Idaho, Minnesota, New York and Virginia beginning September 17 and 18.[3]
Supports. The Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth announced on October 6 that more than 600,000 ballots were already on their way to voters, showing mailing was underway for the November election.[4]
Supports. By late October, the University of Florida Election Lab counted more than 60 million mail ballots sent to voters or requested, confirming widespread mailing for 2026.[5]
Context. Mailing dates vary by state (Larimer County, Colorado, began mailing October 2; Federal Register notes state-law mailing dates generally fall in September or later), so the claim holds for some states on September 14 rather than all.[1][2]
Context. The post's own passage says ballots had gone out in some places, consistent with the claim's scope; the claim does not add a figure or scope beyond the passage.
Sources
5 sources: 2 primary, 3 not rated
- 12026 Electionslarimer.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 2Ballot Mail for Federal Electionsfederalregister.gov · primary source · cited for: context
- 3Mail in ballot rules spark voter confusion. Where do things stand?usatoday.com · not rated · cited for: supports
- 4News & Events - Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusettssec.state.ma.us · not rated · cited for: supports
- 5Trump has railed against mail-in voting. Millions are still doing itdetroitnews.com · not rated · cited for: supports
Where this claim was made
Said in 1 published post
Related claims
- The 2026 midterm elections are currently taking place.Mixed
- Early voting numbers for the 2026 midterm elections are off the charts.True
- Americans began casting their ballots on September 4, 2026.False
- North Carolina started sending out absentee ballots on September 4, 2026.True
- Approximately 30 million Americans have already voted in the 2026 midterm elections.True