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March 31, 2025
President Trump has signed a new executive order. It forces state and local elections boards to demand proof that a voter is a US citizen. His move swiftly drew challenges from voting rights groups. They say the president has no such power over voting systems.
Trump and Republicans have long sought stricter voting laws. They say, without proof, that the voting process has been rife with fraud and abuse. Trump also claims, without giving evidence, that the 2020 election was rigged by Democrats against him.
Trump's new order calls for a raft of new voting laws. Among them? Voters must provide proof that they're a US citizen to vote in a federal race. People who aren't citizens have never been allowed to cast ballots in federal races. Yet, some places allow documented immigrants to vote in local races. Trump’s order would make voters need to show a valid photo ID issued by the government. This includes a valid passport. A REAL ID driver’s license is a second option. Some other ID card issued by a state is a third.
Voting rights groups said many people don’t have such IDs. As cases, they pointed to some poor and elderly. This would stop millions of legal voters who don't have easy access to such IDs from voting, wrote Rick Hasen. Hansen's a UCLA law professor. Hansen posted this on Election Law Blog.
Trump’s order also places limits on mail-in voting. His order instructs Attorney General Pam Bondi to ensure mail-in ballots received after Election Day aren't counted. Most states allow ballots postmarked by that day to be counted. Critics say a future president could delay the transit of ballots. Thus, the president could affect a race outcome. That's because Trump has proposed placing the Post Office under executive branch control.
Reflect: Do you think it’s important for everyone to have equal access to voting? Explain.
Photo of President Trump from Reuters.