WITH CONTROL OF CONGRESS AT STAKE IN NEXT YEAR'S MIDTERM ELECTIONS, PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOUBLING DOWN ON EFFORTS TO END MAIL-IN VOTING.

IN THE 2024 ELECTION, NEARLY 30% OF THE AMERICANS WHO VOTED CAST THEIR BALLOTS BY MAIL.

DESPITE A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR REPUBLICAN DRIVE TO ENCOURAGE SUPPORTERS TO VOTE BY MAIL LAST YEAR, THE PRESIDENT SAYS IT'S A FRAUD.

>> WE AS A REPUBLICAN PARTY WILL DO EVERYTHING POSSIBLE TO GET RID OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS.

WE WILL START WITH AN EXECUTIVE ORDER BEING WRITTEN RIGHT NOW TO END THE MAIL-IN BALLOTS BECAUSE THEY ARE CORRUPT.

JOHN: HE ALSO SAID THAT THE UNITED STATES IS "JUST ABOUT THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT USES THEM."

RICK HASEN IS A PROFESSOR OF LAW AND POLITICAL SCIENCE AT UCLA, AUTHOR OF "A REAL RIGHT TO VOTE: HOW A CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT CAN SAFEGUARD AMERICAN DEMOCRACY."

THE PRESIDENT SAYS JUST ABOUT THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD THAT USES THEM AS THE U.S., IS THAT TRUE?

RICK: NO, IT IS USED ALL AROUND THE WORLD, INCLUDING CANADA, THE UNITED KINGDOM AND GERMANY.

JOHN: HE WILL ISSUE AN EXECUTIVE ORDER TO END MAIL-IN BALLOTS, IS THAT WITHIN HIS POWERS?

RICK: NO.

FIRST OF ALL, AN EXECUTIVE ORDER IS IN ORDER TO THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH ON HOW TO CARRY OUT THE LAW.

IT IS NOT A ROYAL EDICT.

YOU CANNOT DEGREE WE DON'T HAVE MAIL-IN BALLOTS ANYMORE.

THE CONSTITUTION SAYS EACH STATE GETS TO SET ITS OWN RULES FOR RUNNING ELECTIONS.

ARTICLE, UNDER SECTION FOUR, IF CONGRESS OVERRIDES THOSE RULES, CONGRESS ALSO HAS POWERS TO ENFORCE THE 15TH AMENDMENT ON RACE AND DISCRIMINATION IN VOTING.

THE PRESIDENT'S JOB IS TO TAKE CARE THAT THE LAWS PASSED ARE FAITHFULLY EXECUTED.

HE HAS A LOT OF POWERS IN TERMS OF HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT MIGHT INTERACT WITH THE STATES BUT IT IS PRIMARILY STATES RUNNING ELECTIONS AND HE HAS NO DIRECT AUTHORITY OVER HOW ELECTIONS WILL BE CONDUCTED.

WHETHER IT IS FOR FEDERAL ELECTIONS OR STATE AND LOCAL.

JOHN: THAT COUNTERS WHAT HE SAID ON TRUE SOCIAL.

HE SAID THE STATES ARE MERELY AN AGENT FOR THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IN TABULATING THE VOTES.

THEY MUST DO WITH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, AS REPRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE U.S., TELLS THEM.

RICK: THAT IS FICTION.

THAT ISN'T HOW THINGS WORK.

THE CONSTITUTION DOES SAY THAT CONGRESS CAN OVERRIDE, SO CONGRESS PASSED A LAW TOMORROW THAT OUTLAWED OR MANDATED FEDERAL BALLOTS, THAT PROBABLY WOULD BE UPHELD AS APPLIED TO CONGRESSIONAL ELECTIONS AND NOT A OR LOCAL ELECTIONS.

BUT THE PRESIDENT DOES NOT HAVE THE POWER.

STATES ARE MORE THAN AGENTS.

STATES GO BACK TO THE FOUNDING.

STATES WERE THE PRIMARY ACTORS OF ADMINISTERED ELECTIONS.

THERE IS NOT AN AGREEMENT THE WAY IT IS IN MOST OTHER COUNTRIES TODAY, AND THAT DIVERSITY, HOW ELECTIONS ARE RUN, IT MAKES FOR CONFUSION SOMETIMES, BUT IT CAN BE A STRENGTH AGAINST AN EXECUTIVE THAT IS TRYING TO IMPOSE ITS WILL AND THAT IS WHAT THE PRESIDENT IS TRYING TO DO HERE.

JOHN: HE SAYS HE'S DOING THIS BECAUSE HE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THERE IS NO FRAUD.

WE'VE HAD A LONG EXPERIENCE OF MAIL-IN BALLOTS IN OREGON FOR 25 YEARS AS THE ONLY WAY TO VOTE.

WHAT IS THE RECORD OF FRAUD AND CORRUPTION IN THE STATES?

RICK: YOU ARE RIGHT THAT THERE ARE SOME STATES, INCLUDING OREGON, WASHINGTON AND UTAH.

T EIGHT STATES LIKE CALIFORNIA WHERE I AM, WHERE MANY PEOPLE VOTE, THERE ARE SOME STATES WERE MALE AND BALLOTING IS NOT THAT COMMON.

IT INCREASED DURING COVID BECAUSE PEOPLE DIDN'T WANT TO GO TO VOTING PLACES.

LET ME KNOW IS THAT THE PRESIDENT IN 2020 AND IN THE MIDST OF THE CURRENT PANDEMIC, SAID MAIL-IN BALLOT HE WAS FRAUDULENT AND THERE WERE TONS OF INVESTIGATIONS.

THERE WERE 60 PLUS LAWSUITS CHALLENGING THE ELECTION ON PROGRESS, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY FRAUD RELATED TO MAIL-IN BALLOTS.

IT COULD HAVE AFFECTED THE ELECTION ANYWHERE IN THE U.S.

THERE ARE SOMETIMES SMALL LOCALES WHERE THERE IS ELECTION FRAUD, AND IT SOMETIMES DOES NOT OCCUR WITH MAIL-IN BALLOTS, BUT NOT ON THE SCALE THE PRESIDENT IS TALKING ABOUT.

AND IN HIS SOCIAL MEDIA POST, HE TALKS ABOUT GETTING RID OF VOTING MACHINES, AS WELL.

THE MACHINES HE IS TALKING ABOUT, I DON'T KNOW WHAT HE HAS IN MIND, NOT ONLY ABOUT WHAT POWERS HE THINKS HE HAS, BUT WHAT HE THINKS HE CAN DO.

REPUBLICANS IN STATES LIKE FLORIDA, RELY HEAVILY ON MAIL-IN BALLOTS TO GET THEM TO THEIR OWN SUPPORTERS.

JOHN: GOVERNOR ABBOTT WAS SET TO DO THE REDRAWN MAPS TO PICK UP SEATS IN THE HOUSE, DO MAIL-IN BALLOTS FAVOR ONE PARTY OVER THE OTHER?

RICK: HISTORICALLY, REPUBLICANS WERE MORE LIKELY THAN DEMOCRATS TO USE MAIL-IN BALLOTS, LARGELY BECAUSE OLDER, RICHER PEOPLE TENDED TO USE THEM MORE.

IN RECENT YEARS, DEMOCRATS HAVE ACHIEVED PARITY WITH SOME PLACES AND YOU CAN SEE THE REPUBLICAN USE OF BOTH MALE, AND IN PART BECAUSE DEMOCRATS REALIZED THAT THEY PUSHED EARLY VOTING, THEY COULD BANK THEIR VOTES AND THEN THEY DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT AS MANY PEOPLE ON ELECTION DAY.

I WOULD SAY HAD THE PRESIDENT NOT BEEN PUTTING OUT ALL THESE NEGATIVE TWEETS AND OTHER STATEMENTS ABOUT MAIL AND BALLOTING COMEDY WRITING IT, YOU WOULD SEE BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS USING -- BALLOTING, DE-WRITING IT, YOU WOULD SEE BOTH DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS USING A MORE.

REPUBLICAN VOTERS EXPRESSED MORE CONFIDENCE AND SUPPORT FOR VOTE BY MAIL.

IN 2024, THE PRESIDENT WAS NOT SO MUCH AGAINST VOTE BY MAIL, BUT NOW HE'S BACK ON THIS SO WE WILL SEE WHERE IT GOES.

JOHN: THANK YOU SO MUCH.

RICK: PLEASURE SPEAKING TO YOU.

JOHN:-♪ ♪