Trump signs executive order demanding proof of citizenship for voter registration

 

Donald Trump holds up the executive order. New York Post/AFP/Getty.

President Trump has signed an executive order demanding proof of citizenship for voter registration. New York Post. The order would require both proof of citizenship and the reporting of certain details of the documents, such as the expiration date. Though it is already illegal for non-citizens to vote in federal elections, it is not verified in any way, other than a question on the registration form. This new order would ensure that voters would not be able to lie on the form. The order also instructed both DOGE and the Department of Homeland Security to look for non-citizens on the voter roles. 

Donald Trump's executive order can be found here. 

My Comment:

As needed as this executive order is, I am expecting some federal judge to issue an injunction that will be tied up in court until at least the 2026 midterms. I don't think there is much in the way of a legal argument, other than states having a wide leeway to do what they want in elections, but it's never about the argument. The process is the punishment and the federal judges are in the control of the Democrats. 

Still, it's utterly absurd that you don't have to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. The only safeguard against illegal voting by non-citizens is a tiny checkbox that can easily be lied about. Sure, you could get punished if you get caught, but how would you be caught unless you posted your illegal voting on social media or something? 

It's the reason why most mainstream news articles about this topic are infuriating. They say non-citizens voting isn't a real problem, but how on earth would we know? Like I said, it's trivial to lie on the form and without real documents to confirm. Plus, I don't think that there has ever been an audit like the one proposed in this order. Has anyone ever checked the voter roles against the immigration database before? My guess is no and I am also guessing that they will find folks that are voting illegally. 

I also don't buy the argument that requiring these documents will disenfranchise anyone. All you need is a REAL-ID or passport and basically anyone that has a driver's license has a REAL-ID. On May 7th, everyone will need a REAL-ID to fly, but nobody is saying that is going to prevent anyone from flying. And it's absurd that we have more restrictions on flying than we do for voting. 

I do think that there is more to be done to secure elections. Showing your ID at the polls is another easy thing, and getting rid of both mail-in and electronic ballots would go a long way to prevent any kind of voter fraud. Supposedly Trump is working on national voter ID but it wasn't on this order. 

The real question is if the order will survive any legal challenge. Like I said before, I think some judge will put the whole thing on hold and by the time it is decided it will be after the 2026 and maybe the 2028 elections as well. Like I said yesterday, congress needs to act to reign in the excesses of the courts and actually get these executive orders laid into the law...