President Donald Trump takes decisive action on election security through a comprehensive initiative aimed at preventing potential voter fraud.
According to Daily Mail, Trump signed an executive order implementing radical changes to ensure "free, fair, and honest" elections, potentially affecting millions of registered voters through stricter identification requirements and ballot submission deadlines.
The sweeping order mandates documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for federal election registration and requires all ballots to be received by Election Day. It also introduces a citizenship question on federal voting forms and establishes new verification processes between state and federal agencies.
The executive order requires voters to present specific forms of identification, such as driver's licenses, birth certificates, or passports, to participate in federal elections. State and local officials will work with federal authorities to verify this documentation.
Studies indicate that approximately 21.3 million U.S. citizens of voting age, representing 9% of eligible voters, do not have readily available proof of citizenship. Voting rights advocates express concern that these requirements could disenfranchise legitimate voters.
Trump emphasized the importance of election integrity while signing the order. He stated:
Election fraud, you've heard the term, ended, hopefully. At least this will go a long way toward ending it.
The order threatens to withhold federal assistance from states that fail to comply with the new requirements. This approach marks a significant shift in federal-state election administration relationships.
The directive instructs federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security Administration, and State Department, to share data with election officials to identify non-citizens on voter rolls.
The attorney general is directed to prioritize enforcement of federal election integrity laws in states that don't share information about suspected election crimes with the federal government.
Constitutional law experts note that while Congress has some regulatory power over elections, the Constitution primarily grants states authority over election administration. This division of power could lead to legal challenges against the executive order.
Justin Levitt, a constitutional law expert and former White House senior policy adviser during the Biden administration, acknowledges some federal agency involvement in elections. These include the U.S. Election Assistance Commission's grant distribution and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's role in protecting election systems.
Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger praised the order as "a great first step for election integrity reform nationwide." Meanwhile, Mike Lindell, a Trump ally advocating for hand-counting ballots, used the announcement for fundraising purposes.
The executive order represents Trump's latest effort to combat what he perceives as election fraud through stricter voting requirements and enhanced verification processes. The directive aims to fundamentally change how Americans vote by mandating citizenship proof, enforcing Election Day deadlines, and establishing new data-sharing protocols between government agencies.
