President Donald Trump announced over the weekend that he plans to issue an executive order aimed at establishing nationwide voting standards to prevent fraud, with the main focus being on voter identification.
The commander in chief also said the order would establish paper ballots and limit mail-in voting to members of the military posted abroad or those who are too sick to vote in person.
“Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” he wrote Saturday on Truth Social.
Trump added, “Also, No Mail-In Voting, Except For Those That Are Very Ill, And The Far Away Military. USE PAPER BALLOTS ONLY!!! President DJT.”
Donald Trump Truth Social Post 09:49 PM EST 08/30/25
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!!!…
— Fan Donald J. Trump Posts From Truth Social (@TrumpDailyPosts) August 31, 2025
This order will almost certainly face legal challenges.
Precedent shows that despite federal and local governments sharing certain powers when it comes to elections, the states ultimately decide how their voting systems are run, so there is a strong possibility this executive order would be struck down.
Yet the goal of Trump’s order isn’t to remake America’s entire voting apparatus with the stroke of a pen. It’s to bring more attention to the issue, so Congress — and individual states — can codify it by passing legislation.
Do you support national voter ID rules?
Trump has always been a dealmaker. This is part of his strategy. By publicizing an order that lays out — point by point — what the issues are, it gives the public a chance to understand the need for specific changes.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson has already claimed to have passed, or enshrined, dozens of Trump’s executive orders into law.
Examples include defunding public media, Department of Government Efficiency cuts, a golden dome missile defense shield, and increased domestic oil production. All of which began as executive orders.
When it comes to elections, this is something the House and Senate should embrace. Despite certain limitations on federal involvement, the GOP might do well to pass several voting reform packages and take their chances with a friendly Supreme Court.
On the flip side, this executive order might push local factions of the Republican Party to mirror Trump’s format in vital swing states. Additionally, the president is using this order to speak directly to the American people.
In certain states, all it takes is the approval of the voters to change how elections are conducted. Back in April, Wisconsin voted for a constitutional amendment requiring voter ID with almost 63 percent favoring the measure, according to Ballotpedia.
Having an ID to cast your ballot is common sense. People are asked to provide identification to drive, travel, rent a car, pickup a check, get a job, sign up for clubs, and much more.
Why shouldn’t you have to identify yourself when voting?
A Pew Research poll from August stated that, “More than nine-in-ten Republicans [95 percent] and about seven-in-ten Democrats [71 percent] favor requiring all voters to show government-issued photo identification to vote.”
When it comes to mail-in voting, having a shorter chain of custody to reduce the chance of fraud is also prudent, especially now that the pandemic is over.
Allowing military personnel or sick individuals to cast absentee ballots has worked in the past — and would work again.
Just like on the issue of crime, Trump is staking out a popular position and offering solutions, thereby forcing Democrats to oppose the will of the people to their own detriment.
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