President Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday that dramatically overhauls how federal elections will be carried out.
Trump has signed an order instructing the state to demand evidence of citizenship when individuals register for the ballot.
The order, which immediately elicited skepticism from legal experts, includes a section entitled “Enforce citizenship requirements for federal elections.” This section indicates that state or local officials must record “the type of document that the applicant presented as documentary proof of US citizenship,” such as a passport, actual ID, or another federal or state-issued identification that certifies citizenship.”
Additionally, the order directs the Attorney General to target states that count absentees or mail-in ballots received after Election Date. Many states count email-in or absentee votes as long as they are consumed by Election Day.
The order warns that state funds can be withheld if the federal government does not comply.
The order is almost certain to face legal challenges.
“If this executive order can survive the inevitable judicial challenges, it will severely change power over federal elections in the hands of the presidency,” said Rick Hasen, a law professor at UCLA. I wrote it on his blog Depending on the order.
“The purpose here is pure and simple voter suppression,” Hasen writes.
Trump has been spreading for years Unproven claim On a wide range of voter fraud, including non-citizens and mail-in voting. He repeatedly described the 2020 election loss as “equipment,” pointing to the growing number of mail-in voting allowed during the coronavirus pandemic.
Trump and his GOP allies have too Focused on non-citizen votingeven though it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote, it is very rare for non-citizens to vote, and very rare for people facing penalties.
