Trump Calls for Voter Identification for All U.S. Elections
Proposal comes as president also pushes for congressional redistricting and restrictions on mail-in balloting
- President Trump pledged an executive order mandating voter identification before casting ballots for midterm elections.
- Trump wants states to use paper ballots, with exceptions only for the sick or military, citing unsubstantiated voter fraud claims.
- Trump’s efforts to change voting rules face legal challenges, as states administer elections per the Constitution.
President Trump pledged to sign an executive order mandating that voters be required to present identification before casting ballots, widening his push to alter voting requirements head of next year’s midterm elections.
“Voter ID must be part of every single vote. NO EXCEPTIONS!” he wrote on Truth Social, adding that he wanted states to use paper ballots and that exceptions would only be given to sick people or those serving in the military.
Trump has regularly attacked the election process since losing the 2020 election, blaming his defeat, without evidence, on mail-in ballots and voter fraud. On Aug. 18, he promised to lead a campaign to get rid of mail-in ballots and said states must do what the federal government and president tell them. At the time, he promised an executive order to help bring honesty to next year’s midterm elections.
If he seeks to change voting requirements, he would likely be challenged in court because elections are administered by states. The Constitution gives Congress the power to change those rules.
In June, a federal judge blocked most of Trump’s March executive order that required proof-of-citizenship documentation for those registering to vote using federal forms and tapped government agencies to crack down on ineligible voters. Most people register to vote through their states.
The order threatened to pull the small amount of money earmarked by Congress for elections from states that fail to comply.
The judge ruled that the order went beyond Trump’s authority.
Trump has asked the Department of Government Efficiency, created by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, to identify inaccuracies in voter-registration data.
The president is also pushing for Republicans to redraw congressional maps in states such as Texas ahead of congressional midterm elections next year. Republicans currently hold a slim 219 to 212 majority in the House.
In calling for reform, Republicans have repeatedly cited misleading or false claims that large numbers of noncitizens have voted in recent elections. Many studies have found no evidence of large-scale voting by ineligible immigrants. It is illegal for noncitizens to vote in federal elections, and states have measures in place to verify that voters casting ballots are eligible.
Thirty-six states have laws requesting or requiring voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In Congress, lawmakers have introduced a bill to require voters to show identification to vote.
Critics of such laws say they could block U.S. citizens who have changed their names or not updated identification documents from voting. They could also challenge states that don’t have the resources to overhaul their procedures and manage databases with sensitive information.