Trump Order Could Disenfranchise Millions of Voters
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping order Tuesday that, if it stands, would vastly expand the executive branch’s power over federal elections and could potentially disenfranchise millions. The move is certain to be swiftly challenged in court.
The order attempts to wrest control from the states, which are primarily responsible for regulating and administering elections for federal office, while punishing states that do not comply. It also attempts to make registering to vote more difficult.
The Democratic election lawyer Marc Elias was among those who said he will sue over Trump’s order, and Democratic election officials quickly decried the order. (Elias is the founder of Democracy Docket.)
“Trump’s executive order is unlawful,” Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold (D) said in a statement. “It would prevent eligible Americans from exercising their sacred right to vote. The Trump administration is weaponizing the federal government and trying to make it harder for voters to fight back at the ballot box.”
“This is not a statute,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes (D) told Democracy Docket. “This is an edict by fiat from the executive branch, and so every piece of it can be challenged through the regular judicial process.”
“But what is most disturbing is the attitude behind it, and that is that it appears as though this is another one of the administration’s building blocks in an attempt to avoid having to face the voters in 2026,” Fontes added. “I genuinely believe that the Trump administration wants to cancel the 2026 elections so that he and his party can stay in power, and we have to fight like hell against that by every means available.”
The Trump administration claimed the executive order was necessary to prevent election fraud, specifically noncitizens voting in federal elections, which is exceptionally rare in U.S. elections.
Trump’s order in general attempts to make registering, and remaining registered, to vote more difficult.
It directs the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), an agency created by Congress to operate without direct control from the White House, to require eligible voters to provide documentary proof of their citizenship when registering through a federal registration form.
The change would prevent Americans who lack easy access to documents, such as passports, from registering to vote through the national mail voter registration form, which was originally created to make registering to vote more accessible.
“The U.S. Election Assistance Commission is carefully reviewing the President’s Executive Order and determining the next steps in enhancing the integrity of voter registration and state and federal elections,” said EAC chair Donald Palmer in a statement. “We also anticipate consulting with state and local election officials.”
The order also directs that states which accept ballots that arrive after election day — a common practice used states like California, Illinois and Nevada — would lose federal funds to support their election operations.
And the order charges Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with using federal databases to review state voter registration lists. As part of this effort, DOGE and DHS can subpoena state records to prove supposed voter registration fraud.
The Social Security commissioner must share federal databases with state and local election officials verifying the eligibility of registered voters and those attempting to register, the order directs.
Attorney General Pam Bondi must also take action against states that do not comply with federal list maintenance requirements.
The EAC normally assists state and local officials in improving how elections are conducted, by distributing grants to improve election infrastructure and certifying voting equipment.
The commission would be required to amend the guidelines it uses to determine if voting systems are accessible and secure then re-certify voting systems under those new standards.The order comes after Trump in recent weeks has repeatedly called on state leaders to pass laws eliminating mail and electronic voting, falsely claiming they are sources of election fraud.