President Donald Trump has signed a controversial new executive order that could have a big effect on future US elections. This has sparked heated debates all over the country.
The 78-year-old Republican president has signed almost 100 executive orders since taking office in January. These orders cover a wide range of topics, from changing the name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America to getting rid of the Department of Education. But his most recent order,
Signed on Tuesday, is getting a lot of attention. The order, called “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” says that voters must show proof of US citizenship when they register to vote in federal elections. Critics say this could keep millions of people from voting.
The government says that the new rules are needed to make sure that elections stay “free, fair, and honest,” with no claims of fraud or suspicion. The order says, “The United States does not enforce basic and necessary election protections used by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing,” and gives examples like biometric voter identification in India and Brazil.
New rules for voter ID
As part of the new order, voters who are eligible must show official proof of US citizenship when they register. This could be:
A passport from the United States
A driver’s license or state ID that meets REAL ID standards
A military ID
Other government-issued photo ID that meets federal standards
US citizens won’t be able to vote in future federal elections if they don’t have one of these documents.
The order also says that state election officials must work with federal agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department to share voter registration data. The goal is to find and remove noncitizens from the voter rolls.
Changes to Mail-In Voting and Court Cases
The order also changes mail-in voting in big ways, saying that all ballots must be received by election day.
As of now, 18 states and Puerto Rico allow ballots that are postmarked by election day to be counted if they are received later. However, this would no longer be allowed.
Lawyers think that Trump’s order will face a lot of legal challenges. Professor of law at UCLA
Rick Hasen called it a “executive power grab,” which means it could move election oversight from states to the federal government.
Wendy Weiser from the Brennan Center for Justice said that the president “cannot override a statute passed by Congress” that sets rules for voter registration.
Also, the order says that states that don’t follow the new rules will lose federal money.
Critics say this move could change the way elections are run all over the country.
Trump said “Election fraud” during the signing. You know what it means.
We hope to end it. This will at least help a lot to end it.
But those against it say that the order will make it harder for many Americans to vote. Jena Griswold, Colorado’s Democratic secretary of state, said it was “illegal” and an attempt to keep people from voting.
Since Congress has failed to pass voter ID laws in the past, there will likely be legal battles over this new executive order.
It is still unclear whether the order will hold up in court, but it has certainly sparked a heated debate about voting rights in the United States.
