President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at tightening voting regulations, including requiring proof of citizenship on federal voter registration forms.
The move comes amid ongoing claims from Trump and his allies about election integrity, though no widespread fraud has been proven in the presidential election.
The order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections”, was signed by President Trump at the White House.
The details of the Trump order
The order mandates that states receiving federal election-related funds comply with integrity measures, including the requirement that proof of citizenship be provided on the national mail voter registration form.
It also instructs the Department of Homeland Security to ensure states have access to systems that verify the citizenship or immigration status of individuals registering to vote.
Additionally, the order seeks to prevent mail-in ballots from being counted after Election Day, stating that votes should be “cast and received by the election date established in law.”
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states, along with Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and Washington, D.C., currently count ballots postmarked by Election Day even if they arrive later.
Non-citizens are already barred from voting in US elections under federal law.
The Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 explicitly prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections.
All states use a standard voter registration form that requires applicants to affirm their US citizenship under penalty of perjury.
However, the form does not mandate documentary proof of citizenship.
Potential legal challenges and opposition
Voting rights advocates have strongly criticized the order, arguing that it could disenfranchise eligible voters, particularly those who lack access to passports or other official documents.
Research from the Brennan Center for Justice indicates that around 21.3 million eligible US voters do not have proof of citizenship readily available.
The directive is expected to face legal challenges, as previous efforts to implement similar measures have encountered pushback in courts.
A Republican-led bill with similar provisions, the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, failed to pass the Senate last year.
Efforts to review voter registration lists
The order also directs the Department of Homeland Security and the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency to audit state voter registration lists, using subpoenas if necessary to ensure compliance with federal requirements.
In parallel, the Republican National Committee (RNC) announced that it has requested public records from 48 states and Washington, D.C., to assess how voter registration lists are maintained.
“Voters have a right to know that their states are properly maintaining voter rolls and quickly acting to clean voter registration lists by removing ineligible voters,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
Trump, while signing the order, reiterated his concerns over election security. “We’ve got to straighten out our elections,” he said.
“This country is so sick because of the elections, the fake elections, and the bad elections. We’re going to straighten that out one way or the other.”
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