Paul believes the issue is much simpler.
“The biggest threat, really, to the validity of the election is when you don’t vote in person,” the senator said.
According to Paul, in-person voting provides layers of accountability that are difficult to replicate through mail voting systems.
When voters cast ballots at polling places, they typically present identification, verify their eligibility, and complete the voting process under direct supervision. Paul argued that those safeguards help ensure that ballots are connected to actual voters.
Mail voting, he said, removes many of those protections.
“When it’s done by mail, you have no idea if these people are living, if they’re real, who filled out the ballot, who signed the ballot,” Paul said.
The senator then turned his attention to ballot harvesting, a practice that remains highly controversial in many states.
Supporters argue ballot collection helps elderly, disabled, and rural voters participate in elections. Critics contend that it opens the door to potential abuse because third parties gain access to completed ballots before they are submitted.
Paul described a scenario that he believes demonstrates the risks.
He claimed that political operatives can repeatedly approach voters until they gain access to ballots and influence how they are completed.
The concern, according to election integrity advocates, is not necessarily what happens publicly, but what occurs behind closed doors where oversight is virtually impossible.
Republicans frequently point to past cases involving absentee ballot fraud as evidence that vulnerabilities exist.
One of the most frequently cited examples comes from a 1997 mayoral election in Miami, where courts ultimately found widespread absentee-ballot misconduct that affected the outcome of the race.
Another often-discussed case occurred in East Chicago, Indiana, where allegations of fraudulent absentee ballots eventually led to criminal convictions and years of legal challenges.
Supporters of stricter election laws argue these cases demonstrate why safeguards remain necessary even if fraud is relatively rare.
Beyond identifying the problem, Paul also outlined what he believes could be a practical solution.
The senator voiced support for the SAVE America Act, legislation designed to strengthen election verification requirements and increase confidence in voter registration systems.
However, Paul suggested that major election reforms may be easier to achieve at the state level than in Washington.
His focus is on Arizona, one of the nation’s most closely contested battleground states.
“We should go in with a similar amount into Arizona and change the law there – just in Arizona – from unsolicited ballots to only solicited ballots,” Paul said.
Under such a system, ballots would only be mailed to voters who specifically request them rather than being automatically distributed to everyone on voter rolls.
Election integrity advocates argue that requiring voters to request ballots creates an additional layer of verification while still preserving access to absentee voting.
Paul believes that approach could help address concerns without waiting for Congress to act.
The senator also pointed to the political realities in Washington.
While House Republicans have advanced election-security legislation in recent years, many proposals have stalled in the Senate amid intense partisan divisions.
Those setbacks have increasingly pushed conservatives toward state-level initiatives where voters can directly decide election policies through constitutional amendments and ballot measures.
Paul argued that Republicans should become far more aggressive in pursuing those opportunities.
Rather than relying solely on federal legislation, he suggested conservatives should challenge election procedures state by state, particularly in closely divided battlegrounds where election rules can have significant consequences.
The broader debate over mail voting remains one of the most contentious issues in American politics.
Supporters view expanded absentee voting as a way to increase participation and convenience. Critics believe the system creates vulnerabilities that undermine public confidence in election outcomes.
Paul clearly falls into the latter camp.
As Republicans prepare for another critical election cycle, the Kentucky senator is urging his party to focus on what he sees as the foundation of election integrity: ensuring that every ballot can be tied to a verified voter.
Whether lawmakers follow his advice remains to be seen.
But with control of Congress likely to be decided in a handful of competitive states, the fight over election rules is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
And if Paul is correct, the next major election battle may not be fought in Washington at all—it may be fought state by state, one ballot initiative at a time.
