Every so often, a question comes along that makes me pause, take a sip of Diet Dr. Pepper, and say, “Well… this is why we teach civics.”
Here’s today’s version:
Can the toddler-in-chief, through an executive order, make the Postal Service in charge of sending out and tracking mail-in ballots?
Short answer: No.
Long answer: Also, no — but let’s talk about why, because it actually matters.
First Things First: Who Runs Elections?
Despite what many people assume, the toddler-in-chief does not run elections. Neither does Washington, D.C., as a whole.
Elections in the United States are primarily run by the states. That’s not an accident — that’s straight out of the Constitution. States decide things like:
- how ballots are sent out
- how they’re collected
- how they’re counted
Which means we don’t have one national system — we have fifty slightly different ones, each with its own quirks, deadlines, and occasional ability to confuse everyone involved.
Enter the Mailman (Who Is Also Not in Charge)
Now, let’s talk about the United States Postal Service.
The USPS is very good at what it does:
- it delivers letters
- it delivers packages
- it delivers ballots
What it does not do is run elections.
Think of it this way:
If Domino’s delivers your pizza, that does not make them the head chef. They’re getting the product from Point A to Point B. That’s it.
Same idea here.
What an Executive Order Can—and Cannot—Do
An executive order is a tool the toddler-in-chief uses to direct federal agencies. It’s useful, important, and sometimes misunderstood.
It can:
- tell agencies how to prioritize their work
- improve systems already in place
- nudge the federal machine to run more efficiently
It cannot:
- take power away from the states
- rewrite election laws
- suddenly make a federal agency the boss of something the Constitution gives to someone else
So no, an executive order cannot magically turn the Postal Service into the national manager of mail-in voting. That’s not how any of this works.
“Okay, But What If We Wanted That?”
Now we’re asking a better question.
If the goal were to make USPS fully responsible for sending and tracking mail-in ballots nationwide, you’d need:
- Congress to pass a law creating that system
- States to cooperate (or challenge it — probably both)
- Courts to weigh in, because you can bet someone’s filing a lawsuit before the ink dries
In other words, this would not be a quick fix. This would be a full-scale remodeling of how elections function in the United States.
And if you’ve ever tried to remodel anything — kitchen, bathroom, or federal election system — you know it’s never as simple as it sounds.
Why This Actually Matters
This isn’t just a technicality or a “gotcha” answer.
This is about federalism — that wonderfully inconvenient system where power is divided between national and state governments so that no one gets to run the whole show.
It means:
- the President has real power
- but not unlimited power
- and definitely not “snap your fingers and redesign elections” power
Final Thought
Could the toddler-in-chief influence how ballots are delivered?
Yes.
Could the toddler-in-chief make the Postal Service more efficient in handling election mail?
Also, yes.
Could the toddler-in-chief, with one executive order, take over how elections are run across the country?
Not even close.
And honestly—that’s a feature of the system, not a bug.
If nothing else, let this be a reminder:
Before we assume someone in government can “just do something,” it’s worth asking one very simple question:
“Do they actually have the authority to do that?”
Because more often than not… the answer is no.
The Liberty Tree 