President Donald Trump issued a sweeping executive order Tuesday that would dramatically change the administration of U.S. elections.
The order, titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” instructs government agencies to:
- Take steps to require people registering to vote to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship, such as a U.S. passport, and require federal agencies to help state and local officials verify voters’ citizenship;
- Prohibit the counting of absentee and mail ballots received after Election Day, which some states currently permit;
- Withhold federal funds from states that don’t cooperate with requirements in the order;
- Change voting system certification guidelines set by the U.S. Election Assistance Commission to largely ban the use of barcodes or quick-response codes; and include voter-verifiable paper records; the EAC would have 180 days to review and recertify voting systems under the new standards and rescind certifications under the old standards;
- Order the Department of Homeland Security, together with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, to review state’s voter rolls and voter list maintenance “for consistency with federal requirements.”
This is a developing story and will be updated.
