WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday taking first steps toward tightening American election rules, including by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote.
The order requires “documentary proof of United States citizenship” be added to voter registration forms, such as a U.S. passport, a REAL ID identification document, a military ID card designating citizenship, or a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, as long as it denotes citizenship.
It directs federal agencies to make federal databases available to the states to verify citizenship status and update voting equipment security standards and makes federal election funds conditional on compliance with federal election integrity rules.
The order also directs the attorney general to prosecute non-citizen voting and enforce requirements to properly maintain voter lists, take action against states that continue to count ballots past the legal deadline, and prohibit foreign nationals from participating in American elections.
Lastly, the order institutes a review of compliance with Trump’s previous repeal of a “voting access” executive order from former President Joe Biden that the White House says “turned Federal agencies into Democratic voter turnout centers.”
“Above all, elections must be honest and worthy of the public trust,” the White House said. “That requires voting methods that produce a voter-verifiable paper record allowing voters to efficiently check their votes to protect against fraud or mistake. Election-integrity standards must be modified accordingly. It is the policy of my Administration to enforce Federal law and to protect the integrity of our election process.”
NBC News notes that aspects of the order are likely to be challenged in court, as states generally take the lead in setting their own election rules, underscoring the need for legislation to make such changes durable.
Election integrity has long been an issue in American politics, but the controversy significantly intensified when the 2020 presidential election was marked by election irregularities and allegations that the election had been rigged for Biden against Trump, bolstered by the dramatic expansion of voting by mail in the wake of COVID-19.
Twenty-eight states relaxed their mail ballot rules in 2020, contributing to a 17-million vote increase from 2016. In addition to mail ballots generally being less secure than in-person votes, four of those states – Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin – changed their rules without legislative consent. Those four alone comprised 56 of Biden’s electoral votes, more than enough to decide the victor.
At the same time, attempts to prove the election had been stolen were undermined by judges who dismissed some claims on process issues without ever considering their merits, as well as flawed legal briefs by election challengers and dramatic examples of “smoking guns” that never panned out. Nevertheless, the controversy did lead to over a dozen states tightening their election rules over the following years.
Some feared the 2024 election would be similarly “rigged” against Trump, but he ultimately defeated former Vice President Kamala Harris on election night, prompting talk of election integrity to be relegated to the background until this week’s order.
