Donald Trump has signed a new executive order to tighten rules around mail-in voting in the United States, and this decision has led to strong reactions from voting rights groups and political leaders.
What the Order Says
The order asks government agencies like the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to prepare a list of verified U.S. citizens who are eligible to vote and share this list with individual states, while also ensuring that ballots are sent only to approved voters and can be tracked using secure barcodes.
It also directs the Attorney General to investigate election officials or others who may send ballots to ineligible voters and to take action against states that do not follow these rules, including possibly stopping federal funds.
Why This Is Controversial
Many experts and activists believe this order could make it harder for people to vote, affect millions of eligible voters, and go against the U.S. Constitution, which gives states the main power to manage elections. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said her office is reviewing the order and may take legal action, while the NAACP also opposed it strongly, with its president Derrick Johnson calling the order unconstitutional.
Trump’s Reason
Trump said the goal is to ensure honest voting in the country, and he has repeatedly claimed that mail-in voting led to fraud in the 2020 election, which he lost to Joe Biden, although no strong evidence has supported these claims.
Legal Challenges Expected
Experts believe the order will almost certainly be challenged in court, and there is a strong chance that courts could block it before it affects the upcoming midterm elections.
Important Background
In the United States, elections are mainly controlled by individual states, and while Congress can pass laws related to elections, the President and the executive branch do not have direct authority to control how elections are conducted.
