Executive order not expected to impact mail-in voting for 2026 midterm elections

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting mail ballots is not expected to have an impact on the midterm elections this November. 

That’s the assessment of Lebanon County elections director Sean Drasher. 

Besides fielding calls last week from Lebanon County residents concerned about the order, Drasher and county officials have also been busy deciding how to spend Lebanon County’s portion of the recently announced 2026-27 Election Integrity Grant funding totaling $471,677.25.

Mail-in ballots

“Our phones have been ringing non-stop. We have people calling and saying they want to drop (getting) their mail-in ballot. They’ll go in person. That’s fine by me,” Drasher said, noting his office is adept at handling however voters decide to cast their ballots.

Whether the order stands, however, is unknown at this time. 

This week, appeals were filed in court against the order, which would require the creation of a national voter list. No matter the final decision as this issue plays out in court, Drasher doesn’t see there being enough time logistically for it to be implemented before the midterm election on Tuesday, Nov. 3.   

“It looks like it (the executive order) is not going to come together for the fall. And then next year is a local election, and this is for federal elections. So that would mean that the presidential (election) would be the first time this stuff rolls out,” noted Drasher, who added it would take time to build the infrastructure needed to implement the order.

“We need to get the stuff. And the data file doesn’t exist that we need to give them. The portal doesn’t exist to load it into. The stuff on the postal side isn’t in place. You know, it’s just that none of it’s in place,” he added. 

Drasher said the order would accomplish little in Pennsylvania. 

“I don’t even know what it’s accomplishing. Like, honestly, I don’t. I thought it was going to be a backdoor way for them to try to get the voter lists that they want. But it’s not, because the way the EO (executive order) is written is not going to be a backdoor way for them to try to get the voter lists that they want,” he said. “We will be giving even less information than what we already give them. But let’s say we wanted to go in the fall with this new EO. What are we actually trying to accomplish?”  

Additionally, adding another layer to the voting process brings its own risk, according to Drasher. 

“In Pennsylvania, it doesn’t add any security. If anything, it kind of reduces security because it brings more risk and any step you add has risk,” Drasher said. “So by having more steps in the process, there’s more things that can break.”

No matter how the issue plays out, he said, his office will respond accordingly.

“I’m an ops guy. And if you tell me I need to do XYZ, I’ll do it. But if you tell me X is to load your data into a portal, you need to give me the portal. It’s not something I can create. So this is introducing all these steps that are outside of our county, and we just simply don’t control,” Drasher said. “We’re already coming up with some good ideas where we can be compliant, so everyone will be happy.”

Drasher noted Lebanon County has a consistent mail-in ballot list of about 8,000 voters and has distributed up to 10,000 mail-in ballots in past elections “depending on the buzz surrounding a particular election.”

He reiterated that he does not see mail-in voting changing for this election.

“The voters are gonna get their ballots this time around. If they change anything next year, there will be lots of opportunities for them, the voters, to learn about it,” he said. “Next year, it’s possible behind the scenes things will change, but it’ll be transparent for the voter. But it will not be for the fall. We just don’t see how it’s possible for the fall.”

Election Integrity Grant

In 2022, the Pennsylvania Legislature passed a law creating distribution of approximately $45 million annually through the Election Integrity Grant Program to counties in support of the administration of local elections. 

In Lebanon County, funding has averaged $470,000 to $480,000 annually, Drasher said.

The amount each county receives is calculated by “the total amount of funding appropriated, multiplied by the quotient of the county’s total number of registered voters as of the most recent primary, divided by the total number of registered voters in all counties,” according to program documents. 

The documents explain that the grant can be used for staff training, printing of ballots, payment of staff who pre-canvass and canvass mail-in and absentee ballots, and other expenses related to elections.  

Drasher noted this grant was created for situations like the one created by the latest executive order. 

“The grant was designed for this, this sort of situation. We know the law is changing, we know the counties can’t afford to come up with this stuff mid-year in the middle of the budget cycle to cover these costs,” Drasher said about the grant. “We’re going to give you some, about $4 to $5, I forget the exact number, per voter, per county and then you guys will have that to put into major capital investments that you need to keep complying with elections.”

Tracked by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the grant funding has other designated uses. 

“You can also use it for voter registration activities, which means it’s very vague, but we use it for temp workers that come in to help us keep up with all the paperwork, not full-time employees, but just the temp employees,” Drasher said. “It can be used for training and payment of poll workers, which we do. If we have any training costs that’s rolled into that.”

In Lebanon County, it has been applied to capital equipment expenditures. 

“It bought the sorting machine, it bought our poll (e-poll) pads, it bought a computer, it bought a projector that we needed,” added Drasher. “All the equipment that we’ve always wanted but we haven’t been able to buy because we try to keep taxes very low in this county, which is admirable. It’s on the budget line. It’s monitored and tracked and all that by the commissioners and the controller and all that. But it’s not used to cover the budget per se.”

While $177,688.68 will eventually be returned to the state since Lebanon County has not spent all of its prior grants, there’s a good chance that a majority, if not all, of this particular grant gets used.

Between the purchase of election equipment, potential execution of the recent EO, and costs associated with the department’s move from the second floor into the old city offices, there’s plenty on the department’s wish list.

County administrator Jamie Wolgemuth told LebTown that state law governing the grant permits it to be used for costs incurred with replacing antiquated office equipment. The department will get new office furniture when it moves into its new digs on the first floor.

“It seems in talking with Sean that that would meet the criteria for the grant, because it’s for tangibles, it’s for the operation of an election, improvements that will improve the conduct and carrying out of elections,” Wolgemuth said. “In this case, we’re moving the election office down a floor so it’s closer to the entrances, a little easier for people to access.” 

Wolgemuth added that the area for departmental operations will be larger and more centralized.

“It will be more accommodating, and we’re putting in an entirely separate space for the computation that occurs and for the storage of equipment. So all of that will be together,” he said.

Construction in the old city treasurer’s office and other spaces on the first floor of the county municipal building, Wolgemuth announced recently at a county commissioners meeting, is slated to commence in early September and be completed by April. 

“I think what’s really been the most critical time crunch is to be in that space for the presidential because the presidential election in ‘28 is by far the biggest voter turnout,” Wolgemuth said. “We’ll have at least one, maybe two elections under our belt in that space before then.”

Important election dates

Oct. 19 – Last day to register before the November election.

Oct. 27 – Last day to apply for a mail-in or civilian absentee ballot.

Nov. 3 – Last day for county election to receive completed mail-in and civilian absentee ballots (must be received by 8 p.m.).

Nov. 3 – General Election. (Polls are open from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m.)