President Donald Trump announced Saturday night on Truth Social that he plans to issue an executive order mandating voter identification for all voters nationwide.
Trump declared that voter ID “Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS!” and stated he would be “Doing An Executive Order To That End.”
The announcement also included his intention to eliminate mail-in voting except for seriously ill individuals and military personnel serving overseas.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Saturday for comment.
Why It Matters
This latest announcement follows Trump’s March executive action that already required documentary proof of citizenship to register for federal elections and mandated all ballots be received by Election Day.
The new voter ID proposal would represent an additional layer of election requirements beyond the citizenship verification measures already implemented.
Trump’s proposed executive order would extend his ongoing electoral system overhaul beyond registration requirements to the actual voting process. If implemented, mandatory voter ID could affect millions of Americans, particularly in states that currently allow voting without photo identification.
The announcement signals Trump is not waiting for congressional Republicans to pass their long-anticipated Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), which aims to implement similar proof-of-citizenship requirements through legislative channels.
What To Know
Federal elections are administered at the state level, raising constitutional questions about presidential authority to mandate uniform voter ID requirements.
Currently, voter identification laws vary dramatically across states—some require photo ID while others accept alternative verification methods or signed affidavits.
Trump’s March executive order already mandated documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and required ballots to be received by Election Day, with federal funding threatened for non-compliant states.
That order directed agencies including the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to share data with election officials to identify potential non-citizens on voter rolls.
The Brennan Center for Justice estimates that 21.3 million U.S. citizens lack readily available proof of citizenship, raising concerns about potential disenfranchisement.
Voting rights groups have expressed particular concerns about married women who changed their names, as their birth certificates list maiden names—issues already documented in New Hampshire town elections under that state’s new proof-of-citizenship law.
The president has consistently promoted unsubstantiated claims about widespread voter fraud and non-citizen voting, despite election security experts confirming such incidents remain rare.
Trump continues advocating for paper ballots and hand counts over electronic systems, though election officials warn these methods are more time-consuming, costly, and less accurate. He maintains his false claims about the 2020 election, continuing to say without evidence that his loss to former President Joe Biden resulted from widespread fraud.
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump on Truth Social: “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!! President DJT”
Reporting from the Associated Press contributed to this article.
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