Trump says he plans to sign order to make voter ID mandatory

President Donald Trump on Saturday said he will sign an executive order to make voter identification “part of every single vote.” “NO EXCEPTIONS!” he wrote on Truth Social. 

“Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!!,” Trump wrote. 

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Trump has previously criticized the way elections are run in the United States following his 2020 loss to former President Joe Biden. He has attributed Biden’s win to systemic voter fraud though multiple reviews have found no evidence for it. Several studies show that voter fraud does not happen on a level that could swing an election.

Earlier this year, Trump signed an executive order making people show proof of American citizenship issued by the government to register to vote in national elections. This is despite the fact that voting by non-citizens is rare, according to reviews by organizations and election officials. 

A group of states sued over this order, and a federal judge, Denise J. Casper of the Federal District Court for the District of Massachusetts, blocked the order in June, The New York Times reported. Casper said the states would likely succeed in showing the executive order exceeds Trump’s authority, and could disenfranchise the electorate. 

Under the Constitution, states, not the president, have power over elections.

 Trump said in August he plans to sign an executive order to ban mail-in ballots and replace electronic voting machines before the 2026 midterms. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) criticized the announcement, and warned of potential voter suppression and harm to election integrity.

Around 30% of voters cast their ballots by mail in the 2024 election, according to a U.S. Election Assistance Commission report released in June. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, 43% voted by mail.