The new legislation has been blasted as ‘unlawful’ by a Democratic secretary of state
US President Donald Trump has signed a new sweeping executive order that could change the face of future US elections.
Since 78-year-old President Trump’s inauguration on January 20, he has signed nearly 100 Executive Orders (E.O.), according to the Federal Register.
Among his bold actions are renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, dismantling the Department of Education, and introducing an order that could have significant implications for medical patients. However, his latest Executive Order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” has sparked fierce debate. Some experts argue that it could disenfranchise millions of Americans who hope to participate in the upcoming presidential election.
In the order, Trump declares: “Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing.”
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In his latest Executive Order, President Trump highlights a growing global trend of tightening voter identification practices. He points to countries like India and Brazil, where voter identification is tied to a biometric database, contrasting this with the United States, which largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship.
The Trump Administration has emphasized that political votes must remain “free, fair, and honest,” without any “fraud, errors, or suspicion.” They further argue that it is the “right” of American citizens to ensure their votes are “properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution.”
This sweeping new executive order mandates that all eligible voters present “documentary proof of US citizenship” when registering for federal elections. Acceptable forms of ID include US Passports, REAL ID Act-compliant identification, official military IDs, and other valid government-issued photo IDs. Without one of these forms, US citizens would be barred from voting in future elections.
The order also requires individual states to collaborate with federal agencies such as the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to share voter lists and pursue prosecution through a unified registration system. This move is expected to help identify noncitizens on voter rolls.
The Associated Press reports that the legislation also threatens to withhold federal funding from states that fail to comply, potentially transforming the way elections are conducted across the nation.
One of the key provisions in President Trump’s new Executive Order is that all mail-in ballots must be both “cast and received” by Election Day. Currently, 18 states and Puerto Rico allow ballots to be received after Election Day as long as they were mailed on or before the day of the vote, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
UCLA law professor Rick Hasen expressed concerns on his blog, describing the move as an “executive power grab” that would drastically shift authority to the federal government. During the signing of the order at the White House, Trump told reporters: “Election fraud. You’ve heard the term. We’re going to end it, hopefully. At least this will go a long way toward ending it.”
Past attempts to pass a voter ID law through Congress have failed, meaning this latest executive action from the Trump Administration is expected to face legal challenges in court.
Wendy Weiser from the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University spoke out against the order, telling the Washington Post, “The president cannot override a statute passed by Congress that specifies the requirements for voter registration on the federal voter registration form.”
Meanwhile, Colorado’s Democratic Secretary of State, Jena Griswold, labeled the order as “unlawful,” arguing that it would make it “harder for voters to fight back at the ballot box.” The controversy surrounding the E.O. has already sparked heated debate, and its future in the courts remains uncertain.
