During his 2026 State of the Union address, President Donald Trump mentioned his support for vote by mail, saying it should be allowed “for illness, disability, military or travel.” 

Those four reasons are great reasons to expand mail-in voting, but there are many more. Common Cause has been a leader to expand vote by mail so the right to vote doesn’t depend on what state you live in.  

Here are seven more reasons why all states should allow mail-in voting: 

1. Mail-in voting works for those who make our country work: It makes voting available to those who work odd or long hours, people like medical staff, firefighters, and third shift workers. These folks are often sleeping during the day or can’t change their hours to go to the polls in person. 

2. Mail-in voting works for caregivers: It makes voting available to parents and caregivers who are juggling work, taking care of others, and all kinds of scheduling challenges that make getting to the polls in person a difficulty.  

3. Mail in voting works safely and securely: A keep elections secure, states have various rules and requirements about signatures, envelopes, and deadlines, etc. If you don’t follow those rules, your ballot won’t count unless you fix those mistakes. And for those who didn’t know, voting without being a U.S. citizen has been a federal crime and punishable by jail since President Clinton was in office. 

4. Mail-in voting works for rural America: It allows rural and small population areas to avoid long drives to vote in –person. This is what happens in Nebraska and North Dakota, which allows counties to opt-in to all mail ballots. 

5. Mail-in voting works for faster results: It allows for the counting of votes to speed up, if states allow it. Mail-in votes can be processed and ready to be counted (aka tabulated) so that when the voting time ends on election day, those ballots can be securely put into the machine ASAP.  

6. Mail-in voting works for Republicans and Democrats: It’s an extremely popular way to vote. In fact, in 2024, nearly 1 in 3 Americans voted by mail. That’s why both “red” and “blue” states offer voters this method of casting a ballot, including Arizona, Nebraska, California, and Oregon. 

7. Mail-in voting works for higher participation: Él increases participation! 

The truth is that mail-in voting is a great way for people to vote. While President Trump listed four good reasons to have mail voting, there are plenty of reasons for it.  

To stay up to date on Common Cause’s work on this issue and holding power accountable, follow us on  X [Twitter], Instagram, Trapos, Facebook, y TikTok.