U.S. President Donald Trump, who has claimed there was 'voter fraud' in the 2020 presidential election, has begun restructuring the electoral system.
On the 25th (local time), according to The New York Times (NYT) and others, President Trump signed an executive order stipulating that only individuals who can prove they are U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections.
The executive order directs the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to add proof of citizenship to the voter registration forms, and allows the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in cooperation with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), to obtain subpoenas to review voter lists in each state.
It also specifies that all ballots that are not received by the voting deadline must be treated as invalid, and that the federal Department of Justice will take 'all necessary measures' to enforce this. Previously, some states, including California, deemed mail-in ballots delivered after the voting deadline valid if the mailing date was prior to the election date.
States that do not comply with this order may face cuts in federal funding.
President Trump said through his social media platform Truth Social, 'We believe this executive order is the most impactful executive order taken for the safety of our elections.'
The NYT noted, 'President Trump has long raised concerns about election fairness,' adding that 'officials in the administration who issued this order mentioned cracking down on illegal immigrants registered on voter rolls as one of the primary goals of this order.'
Like Trump's other executive orders, this one is also likely to face legal challenges. Rick Hasen, a law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), said, 'President Trump does not have the authority to require the EAC to count ballots by the election day,' adding that 'the court must review the exercise of power by the EAC, which was created by laws passed in Congress.'