Trump Changes US Election System, Makes Voter Registration More Difficult

On March 25, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at reforming U.S. elections. It includes a requirement for citizenship documents to register to vote in federal elections, as well as requiring all ballots to be received by Election Day, reports Associated Press.

Photo Ilia Biriukov | Dreamstime.com

The order says the U.S. has failed to “provide basic and necessary election protections.” It calls on states to work with federal agencies to share voter rolls and identify election-related crimes. It will cut off federal funding to states where election officials fail to comply.

Lawsuits are likely to follow, as states have broad discretion to set their own election rules. Trump has often claimed that elections are rigged before the results are known. He attacked certain voting methods when he lost the 2020 election to Democrat Joe Biden, accusing him of widespread fraud.

On the subject: First Transgender Member Elected to US Congress: Sarah McBride Wins Election in Delaware

Trump has been particularly focused on mail-in voting, arguing without evidence that it is unsafe and open to fraud. Although his position on the issue has shifted due to its popularity with voters, including Republicans, mail-in voting fraud is rare but does happen and is easy to spot.

The requirement for documentary proof of citizenship signals that the president is not waiting for Republicans in Congress to pass a long-awaited voter protection bill, known as the SAVE Act, that would do the same.

Republicans defend the measure as necessary to restore public confidence in elections. Voting in federal elections is already illegal for non-citizens and can result in criminal charges and deportation.

Voter rights groups have expressed concerns that the requirement could mean some voters lose their voting rights. According to a 2023 report from the Brennan Center for Human Rights, about 9% of eligible U.S. voters (21,3 million people) lack proof of citizenship.

There are also concerns that married women who change their last names will have trouble registering because their birth certificates list their maiden names. Similar problems arose in recent elections in New Hampshire towns, where a new state law requires proof of citizenship to register to vote.

Trump's order requires federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Social Security and the State Department, to share federal data with election officials that will help identify non-citizens on their rolls.

The document says the attorney general should "prioritize enforcement of federal election integrity laws" in states that do not share information about election crime suspects with the federal government.

The order aims to ensure that votes are “cast and received” by Election Day. It says federal funding should be contingent on states complying with that requirement. Currently, 18 states and Puerto Rico accept mail-in ballots received after Election Day, as long as they are postmarked on or before that date.

Trump’s order could face legal challenges because the Constitution gives states broad authority to administer elections. While Congress has the power to regulate voting (and has used it to pass laws like the Voting Rights Act), the Constitution makes clear that states have the primary authority to set the “time, place, and manner” of elections.

The executive branch does have some authority over elections, said Justin Levitt, a constitutional law expert and former White House senior policy adviser during the Biden administration. He said several federal agencies provide election support, including the U.S. Voter Assistance Commission, which distributes federal grants to states and runs a voluntary certification program for voting systems. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency helps election officials protect their systems.

President Biden signed an executive order in 2021 aimed at simplifying the registration process, expanding access to registration for certain groups, increasing awareness of the registration process, and making proposals to make registration more convenient and accessible to citizens. This prompted complaints from Republicans who called Biden’s order “federal meddling,” and Trump rescinded it.

Trump's order calls on the Voter Assistance Commission to change its guidelines for voting systems to protect the integrity of elections, including requiring that voting systems not use ballots with bar or QR codes in the vote-counting process.

Nearly all voters cast ballots in Georgia and a few other states use voting machines with large touchscreens to register their votes. The machines then print out a paper ballot with text and a QR code that is scanned by a scanner to count the votes.

You may be interested in: top New York news, stories of our immigrants and helpful tips about life in the Big Apple - read it all on ForumDaily New York

It's not clear how the order will affect states that use the machines.

Mike Lindell, a Trump ally who spreads election conspiracy theories, wants to ban voting systems in favor of hand-counting ballots.

Trump's order came as the Republican National Committee launched a massive campaign to audit voter registration lists across the country.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Elections to the World Zionist Congress have begun: how and who to vote for

US Stops All Cyber ​​Attacks on Russia

The White House Declassified Thousands of Documents on Kennedy's Assassination: What We Learned From Them

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.