On Saturday, President Donald Trump announced his intention to sign an Executive Order mandating voter identification for all U.S. elections, a measure expected to face legal challenges on constitutional grounds.
“Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End,” Trump declared.
Furthermore, the president reaffirmed his plan to prohibit mail-in voting in all instances, with the sole exceptions being individuals who are gravely ill or serving as “Far Away Military.”
These extensive reform proposals stem from Trump’s continuous assertion that voter fraud is a pervasive national issue that led to his loss in the 2020 election—an allegation for which he has offered no evidence in the years since, and which multiple investigations, including those conducted by his own administration, have similarly found no basis to pursue charges.
Currently, voter identification laws vary by state, though many have been updated in light of Trump’s frequent unsubstantiated claims of fraud. By 2025, identification was mandated for voters at polling places in 36 states.
However, states exhibit varying degrees of strictness. Some demand photo identification, while others include exemptions for financially disadvantaged voters, individuals whose religious convictions preclude being photographed, or victims of domestic abuse requiring anonymity.
State legislatures establish election laws, which are subsequently overseen by the governor, the attorney general, the chief election official, and the state board of elections collectively.
The Constitution does not grant the president authority over election regulation, and Trump’s prior efforts to alter election rules were unsuccessful.
Critics of voter ID legislation cite research indicating a disproportionate effect on minority communities, older adults, and student voters. Citizens of color are nearly four times more prone to lacking a valid government-issued photo ID than white citizens. The same research revealed that approximately 34.5 million Americans either lack a driver’s license or state ID, or possess one with outdated name or address information, and are deterred from rectifying these issues by financial hurdles, administrative complexities, and overall ambiguity regarding voting stipulations.
Trump’s recent declaration follows a previous directive that instructed the Election Assistance Commission to mandate that Americans provide a passport or other government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship upon voter registration.
This earlier order was founded on another unsubstantiated assertion that the U.S. permitted foreign nationals to participate in elections, and urged election officials to “enforce the Federal prohibition on foreign nationals voting in Federal elections.”
Shortly after Trump unveiled his executive order, 19 states initiated lawsuits against him, characterizing it as “an unconstitutional attempt to seize control of elections.” Subsequently, multiple judges have deemed the majority of the executive order unconstitutional, foreshadowing the impending legal conflicts regarding Trump’s proposed voter identification mandates.
U.S. District Judge Denise J. Casper, in June, issued a preliminary injunction against the order, stating that it “violates the Constitution” and “interferes with States’ inherent sovereignty and their constitutional power to regulate the time, place, and manner of federal elections.”