President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Tuesday commanding people to provide proof of citizenship to vote in U.S. elections and requiring all ballots be received by Election Day.
The order, named “PRESERVING AND PROTECTING THE INTEGRITY OF AMERICAN ELECTIONS,” requires the Election Assistance Commission to ask citizens for government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship in order to register to vote.
Trump suggested that several countries are ahead of the United States in election integrity. He noted that India and Brazil are tying voter identification to a biometric database, Germany and Canada require the use of paper ballots counted in person, and Denmark and Sweden limit mail-in voting to only those who cannot vote in person.
“Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic. The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election,” the order says.
Trump added that “votes be cast and received by the election date established in law” and that late counted votes are akin to “allowing persons who arrive 3 days after Election Day, perhaps after a winner has been declared, to vote in person at a former voting precinct, which would be absurd.”
The executive order is expected to receive legal challenges. Trump dedicated vast resources during his 2024 bid for president toward ensuring election integrity, including deploying thousands of poll watchers and attorneys to monitor the vote.
Republicans praised Trump on the order.
“President Trump’s executive order is a huge win for election integrity,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.
“On the campaign trail, President Trump promised voters he would act to secure our elections, and with this executive order, he is doing just that. Requiring proof of citizenship, stopping voter fraud, and ending Democrat abuses of power are all commonsense steps to secure our elections,” he added. “The RNC is already following through on the President’s action, and our election integrity program is hard at work ahead of the 2026 midterms to protect the vote.”
Others suggested the order was executive overreach.
“This executive order is important for what it tries to do on requiring voters to provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote, but it is even more important for what it means for Presidential power,” Rick Hasen, a political science professor and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, told the New York Times. “Trump is trying to assert power over an independent, bipartisan agency that Congress created to deal fairly and evenhandedly with assisting states in administering elections.”
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Trump said he will take additional actions toward election integrity in the coming weeks.
“There are other steps that we will be taking as the next in the coming weeks, and we think we’ll be able to end up getting fair elections,” Trump said on Tuesday at the signing. “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.”
