President Donald Trump is stirring the pot again, vowing to mandate voter ID across all U.S. elections.
Fox News reported that on Saturday, Trump took to social media to announce a forthcoming executive order that would require voter ID, restrict mail-in voting to the seriously ill and distant military, and enforce paper ballots only. This bold move echoes a prior attempt earlier this year, which hit a judicial brick wall.
In April, a federal judge struck down parts of Trump’s earlier election integrity order, ruling he overstepped his authority.
The Constitution, after all, hands election rules to Congress and the states, not the Oval Office. Yet, Trump is doubling down, undeterred by the setback.
Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, a Clinton appointee, didn’t mince words when she nixed Trump’s earlier voter ID push. “No statutory delegation” lets the president bypass Congress, she declared, pointing to the legislative branch’s ongoing debates. Her ruling was a sharp reminder that checks and balances aren’t just a civics lesson.
Trump’s latest gambit seems to ignore that legal reality, banking on executive fiat to reshape voting. It’s a risky play—courts don’t typically smile on end-runs around constitutional boundaries. Still, his base cheers the effort, seeing it as a bulwark against fraud.
The president’s social media post was vintage Trump: “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS!” He’s framing it as common sense, but critics argue it’s a solution chasing a problem, with voter fraud cases rarer than a polite X thread.
A Gallup poll shows 84% of Americans back voter ID requirements, with 83% favoring proof of citizenship for registration.
Even 67% of Democrats agree on ID mandates, alongside 84% of Independents and a near-unanimous 98% of Republicans. Those numbers give Trump’s plan a populist tailwind, even if the courts remain skeptical.
Trump’s call to limit mail-in voting to the very ill and far-flung military is less popular but still resonates with his core supporters. The Gallup data doesn’t directly address mail-in restrictions, but the appetite for tighter rules suggests he’s not entirely out of step. Still, the logistics of enforcing such limits could be a nightmare.
Paper ballots, another Trump demand, aim to restore trust in a system some claim is vulnerable. Critics counter that electronic systems, when secure, are faster and less prone to human error. The debate feels like a rerun, but Trump’s betting nostalgia for paper will win hearts.
Congress is already wrestling with election reform legislation, which could render Trump’s order moot. Kollar-Kotelly noted that lawmakers, not presidents, hold the reins on voting rules. Trump’s push might be more about rallying his base than rewriting the rulebook.
“Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote.
Her point is clear: Trump’s pen isn’t mightier than the Constitution’s division of powers. Yet, he’s never been one to shy from a fight.
The president’s supporters see this as a stand against a progressive agenda that, in their view, undermines election integrity. They argue that voter ID and paper ballots are simple, transparent fixes. Opponents, however, warn of disenfranchising voters who lack easy access to ID.
Trump’s “NO EXCEPTIONS!” rhetoric fires up his base but risks alienating moderates who see nuance in election reforms.
The Gallup poll’s cross-party support for voter ID suggests a middle ground exists, but Trump’s all-or-nothing approach might not find it. Compromise isn’t exactly his brand.
Restricting mail-in voting to specific groups sounds targeted, but it raises questions about enforcement fairness. Who decides what “very ill” means? The vagueness could spark lawsuits faster than you can say “hanging chad.”
