President Joe Biden collaborated with liberal activists and the Department of Agriculture to encourage voter registration, as indicated in a memo provided to the Daily Caller.
Former President Donald Trump reversed this practice. He ordered a review of the federal voting initiatives established by the Biden administration.
In March 2021, Biden signed an executive order that mandated federal agencies to engage in voter registration efforts, but this was undone by Trump in March 2025. The USDA teamed up with organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union and other left-leaning advocacy groups to carry out Biden’s plans, the memo disclosed.
Additionally, programs like the Biden administration’s Rural Housing Services and the National School Lunch Program were reportedly used to circumvent the voting initiative, according to the memo. A senior White House official mentioned that instead of focusing on providing food and nutrition to Americans in need, the USDA partnered with groups like the ACLU and Dēmos. Officials expressed skepticism about the ACLU’s relevance to agricultural assistance and noted that Dēmos had no connection to food-related support.
The memo outlined that anyone applying for federally funded food assistance was prompted to register to vote and provided with registration forms as part of Biden’s initiative.
It was noted that the USDA’s interactions with organizations like Dēmos and the ACLU aimed to “support voter registration efforts.” However, this didn’t involve a formal agreement with these groups.
A senior White House official pointed out that many of the USDA’s communications with these organizations were held in informal meetings without thorough documentation.
He commented on the method by which the Biden administration appeared to be operating near the limits of legality, yet it hadn’t generated necessary documentation for release under freedom of information statutes.
Hans von Spakovsky from the Heritage Foundation remarked that Biden’s executive order has been previously characterized as “illegal and potentially partisan.” He contended that it could infringe the Hatch Act by allocating federal funds on unapproved activities and acting as a voting registrar without state consent.
While the specifics of the meetings between the ACLU and Démos were not well-documented, officials understood that the organization had significant access to government figures.
These officials acknowledged that the ACLU was involved in discussions regarding voter mobilization strategies targeting specific districts.
Both the ACLU and Dēmos are recognized for their progressive stances. The ACLU has contested elements of Trump’s policies and voiced concerns over issues like competition in sports, while Dēmos has advocated for major environmental reforms.
A memo concerning how the USDA enacted Biden’s executive order stated that the agency’s Rural Housing Services is designed to assist rural citizens with housing solutions, including providing impartial voter information to borrowers involved in the voting process.
Across the nation, rural development entities have been directed to facilitate voter registration at locations where Americans apply for housing and business aid.
As detailed in the memo, high school programs have been “encouraged to promote voter registration,” with cafeterias potentially acting as venues for distributing voter information connected to the National School Lunch Program.
The memo also indicated that emergency shelters under the Children and Adult Care Food Program could offer voter registration drives at feeding sites.
Furthermore, the USDA plans to adjust personnel policies to permit federal employees up to four hours of administrative leave for voting, although a senior White House official expressed concern over connecting this time off directly to electoral positions.
While it’s critical for Americans to have time to vote, there is concern that linking this time to political activities could pose legal issues, leading to the eventual retraction of the guidance.
