Overview

• The president said on Truth Social he plans an order requiring voter identification for every ballot and allowing mail voting only for the very ill and distant military voters.
• He also reiterated support for paper ballots and hand counts, positions election officials warn would slow results, raise costs, and reduce accuracy compared with machine tabulation.
• The move follows a March executive action that imposed documentary proof-of-citizenship for voter registration and required ballots to be received by Election Day.
• Legal analysts note federal elections are administered by states, making it unclear whether a presidential order can mandate uniform voter ID rules or restrict mail voting nationwide.
• The announcement comes as the 2026 midterms approach, when voters will weigh in on Trump's agenda and Democrats seek to reclaim control of Congress.