Trump Signs Executive Order To Overhaul Federal Elections, Voter Registration

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday outlining sweeping changes to the way federal elections are carried out nationwide, a responsibility the Constitution explicitly assigns to the states and Congress.

During a White House signing ceremony, staff secretary Will Scharf called the order “the farthest reaching executive action taken” in U.S. history.

It is very likely to face legal challenges. If implemented, however, it would dramatically increase Trump’s influence over the way Americans exercise their most fundamental civic right.

The order reflects many of the falsehoods and conspiracy theories Trump has spread about federal election security. It directs federal agencies and officials to change the federal voter registration form to require proof of citizenship, such as a passport or Real ID. It aims to bar states from counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day, regardless of state laws on postmarking, and it directs the Justice Department to track and prosecute what the Trump administration considers election crimes.

The text of the order points out that the Department of Homeland Security is tasked with protecting critical infrastructure and argues that election infrastructure fits that description. It instructs the secretary of Homeland Security, alongside the attorney general, to “review and report on the security of all electronic systems used in the voter registration and voting process.” Trump has long championed paper ballots, falsely suggesting digital voting machines provide opportunity for fraud.

States that do not comply with Trump’s order face the threat of having federal funds cut off.

Election fraud is very rare. After the 2020 presidential election, dozens of lawsuits failed to surface evidence of widespread illegal ballots or other meddling.

Attorney Marc Elias, founder of the voting rights advocacy group Democracy Docket, said his organization planned to sue the Trump administration over the order.

“This will not stand,” he wrote on social media.

Democracy Docket pointed out in a statement that an agency Trump directed to help carry out the changes, the Election Assistance Commission, was “created by Congress to operate without direct control from the White House,” in a possible preview of its arguments.

On its website, the EAC states that its mission is “to help election officials improve the administration of elections and help Americans participate in the voting process.” It was established under a 2002 law passed after the turmoil of the 2000 election.