Overview

• Trump announced on Truth Social that every ballot must include voter identification, with mail voting limited to the severely ill and military stationed far from home.
• Elections are run by states, and a federal judge previously halted a similar move, finding the president lacked authority to change state election procedures.
• He is also pressing to end voting machines in favor of hand-counted paper ballots, which election officials say are slower, more expensive, and less accurate.
• Earlier this year he signed a decree restricting mail voting, including a ban on counting ballots that arrive after Election Day.
• The proposal comes after years of unsubstantiated fraud claims dating to 2020 and precedes the November 3, 2026 midterms, described as the first nationwide test of his agenda since returning to office.