Polygraph

By the end of the week of September 16, 2026, 20 states will have begun sending mail ballots out.

Posted by Badlands Media, Checked

Polygraph verdictTrue
Sources
3 support2 context
Said
1 time·
Confidence
60%
Badlands MediaSep 16, 2026
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As of September 16, 2026, sources support the claim that about 20 states would have begun mailing ballots by the end of that week.

This claim is about the present, so it is judged as of the day it was checked.

What was said

… The executive order is blocked, just like the previous order. It is not in effect. States like North Carolina have already started sending mail ballots out. Many other states are preparing to send their mail ballots out by the middle of September, by the end of next week, 20 states will have begun sending their ballots out, at a minimum, and every state will have begun sending mail ballots out to military and overseas voters. That's going on while this is still being considered in both on appeal at the First Circuit and the Supreme Court. Five months ago is when the EO was issued. …
Badlands Media · · from the transcriptPost →

What we found

Supports. NCSL, as reported on September 12, said twenty states send mail-in ballots to voters in the next week or already have, which directly matches the claimed count and timing.[3]

Supports. The September 9 election officials' filing says North Carolina mailed first ballots on September 4, other states' initial mailing dates fall between September 4 and October 16, and every state must send military and overseas ballots by September 19.[2]

Supports. The Solicitor General's filing says North Carolina and Alabama (September 9) had begun mailing, and at least five more states would begin the week of September 13, showing the rollout was under way by the claimed date.[4]

Context. Reuters and PBS Wisconsin reported in early-to-mid September that North Carolina, Alabama and Wisconsin had begun mailing and that states would continue sending ballots under existing processes, consistent with a broad rollout.[1][5]

Context. The claim's extraction from the passage resolves "next week" to the week of September 16; the passage was posted on September 16, so the timeframe is a reasonable reading of the post rather than an added scope, but the source counts are approximate.[3]

Sources

5 sources: 1 fact-checker, 1 primary, 3 not rated

  1. 1Trump administration renews Supreme Court bid to limit ...reuters.com · fact-checker · cited for: context
  2. 2In the Supreme Court of the United Statessupremecourt.gov · primary source · cited for: supports
  3. 3Mail-in ballot rules spark voter confusion. Where do things stand?charlotteobserver.com · not rated · cited for: supports, context
  4. 4Postal Service work to comply with Trump's executive order is rushed, sloppy, whistleblower contendswbrz.com · not rated · cited for: supports
  5. 5US Supreme Court rejects Trump mail-in ballot restrictions ...pbswisconsin.org · not rated · cited for: context

Where this claim was made

Said in 1 published post

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