Byrd condemns executive overreach on mail-in ballots
CHEYENNE (WNE) — James Byrd, Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate in Wyoming and former state representative, issued a statement Thursday challenging recent executive actions targeting mail-in ballots and federal election administration.
Byrd cited explicit constitutional limits on federal power and condemned partisan efforts to manipulate voter access.
“The United States Constitution is unequivocally clear: election authority rests with the states, not the executive branch,” Byrd said in a news release. “The President has no implied statutory or constitutional authority to dictate how states manage their election laws or process mail-in ballots. Any attempt to bypass state authority or weaponize the United States Postal Service for federal administration is illegal and a dangerous reach beyond constitutional limits.”
Byrd emphasized that the Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution explicitly delegates the time, place and manner of holding elections to state legislatures. The executive branch’s attempts to interfere with mail-in voting procedures infringe on states’ rights and disrupt administrative operations managed by state and county officials, he said.
“This is part of a broader, systemic issue where Republicans are trying to pick their voters rather than letting the voters pick their candidates,” Byrd added. “Whether through restrictive rules designed to limit vote-by-mail access or unconstitutional federal interference in local administration, these measures undermine the fundamental principles of a free democracy. Voters deserve a system where every legal vote is counted according to the rules set by their own state laws.”
This story was published on August 28, 2026.
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