Trump to mandate voter ID for federal elections in new EO

On Saturday night, Trump posted on Truth Social that he is also considering additional election reforms, including barring mail-in voting except in limited cases.

"Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!! Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!" the president posted.

The announcement echoed comments Trump made earlier this month, when he pledged to end both mail-in ballots and the use of voting machines.

“I am going to lead a movement to get rid of MAIL-IN BALLOTS, and also, while we're at it, Highly 'Inaccurate,' Very Expensive, and Seriously Controversial VOTING MACHINES," Trump posted on August 18.

Earlier this year, Trump attempted to advance voter ID requirements through an executive order on election integrity. However, in April, District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly struck down the section mandating documentary proof of citizenship, ruling that the president lacked the authority to impose such requirements. The judge stated that Congress and the states hold control over election regulations.

"Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legislation that would affect many of the changes the President purports to order," Kollar-Kotelly wrote in her ruling. "No statutory delegation of authority to the Executive Branch permits the President to short-circuit Congress’s deliberative process by executive order."

Polling has shown strong public support for voter ID. A Gallup survey conducted before the 2024 election found that an overwhelming 84 percent of Americans supported requiring identification to vote, while 83 percent supported requiring proof of citizenship when registering to vote.