Trump orders proof of citizenship to vote, threatens noncompliant states

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections, threatening to yank funding from states that fail to make efforts to secure elections.

The executive action scrutinized the United States’ current voting methods, arguing that “modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing,” have deployed systems that curb fraud and abuse. The EO noted that India and Brazil have incorporated a biometric database, Germany and Canada require paper ballots, and Denmark and Sweden place restrictions on mail-in voting.

‘The farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history of the republic to secure our elections.’

It contended that the states have failed to comply with federal election requirements, in ways such as continuing to count ballots collected after Election Day and implementing inadequate citizenship vetting processes.

Trump’s executive action mandates that voters provide proof of citizenship before casting their ballots, and election officials are required to record the details of the provided documentation, including issue date, expiration date, and identification number. It lists acceptable proof of citizenship documents such as U.S. passports, military identification cards, and forms of identification that meet Real ID requirements.

The EO will also add a citizenship question to the federal voting form.

States that fail to take adequate steps to protect the election process could have their federal funding cut.

Trump directed the Department of Homeland Security to partner with the Department of Government Efficiency to review publicly available voter registration lists against immigration databases. Any noncitizens discovered on the voter rolls will be provided to Attorney General Pam Bondi, with the administration calling on the DOJ to prosecute election crimes.

During Tuesday’s signing, homeland security adviser Stephen Miller called the EO “the farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history of the republic to secure our elections.”

“We believe that these are very important steps that we need to be taking as an administration, at your direction, to ensure that our elections are as secure as they possible can be,” Miller stated.

Trump said that the EO would “go a long way” toward ending election fraud, adding that the administration planned to take additional steps “in the coming weeks.”

“Perhaps some people think I shouldn’t be complaining because we won in a landslide, but we’ve got to straighten out our election. This country is so sick because of the election — the fake elections and the bad elections. And we’re going to straighten it out one way or the other,” he stated. “It’s an honor to sign this one.”

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