US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at overhauling federal elections, including requiring voters to show proof of citizenship and limiting when states can accept mail-in ballots.
The order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” was signed at the White House on Tuesday. Trump, who has frequently claimed without evidence that voter fraud is a major issue, said the measure was necessary to secure the electoral system.
“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,” Trump said during the signing.
Experts warn the order could disenfranchise millions of Americans who lack easy access to legal documents proving their citizenship, such as passports or enhanced driver’s licenses. They also note that elections in the U.S. are largely run by individual states, making it unclear how enforceable the executive action will be.
Wendy Weiser of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University said the order will likely face legal challenges. “The president cannot override a statute passed by Congress that says what is required to register to vote on the federal voter registration form,” she told the Washington Post.
UCLA law professor Rick Hasen echoed those concerns, warning that if upheld, the order would “radically shift power to the federal government.”
The executive order mandates that states require proof of citizenship for voter registration, despite existing federal law already making it illegal for non-citizens to vote. The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 prohibits non-citizens from participating in federal elections, and the current national voter registration form already requires applicants to affirm their citizenship under penalty of perjury.
The order also seeks to bar states from accepting postal ballots received after election day. Currently, 18 states allow ballots to be counted if they were postmarked by election day but arrive later. The new order threatens to withdraw federal funding from states that do not comply.
Democrats and voting rights groups have criticised the move, arguing that past voter ID proposals have disproportionately affected low-income and minority communities. They also point out that previous efforts to pass similar restrictions through Congress have failed.
Trump has repeatedly claimed, without evidence, that voter fraud affected past elections. He has suggested that *”millions”* of undocumented immigrants voted in 2016 and has continued to deny the legitimacy of his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden.
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