US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order requiring voters to prove their US citizenship when registering for federal elections, a move rights groups have described as an attempt to suppress votes, particularly among minorities.
The order also directs states to stop counting mail-in ballots that arrive after Election Day and threatens to withhold federal funding from states that do not comply with the new directives.
“We’ve got to straighten out our elections,” Trump said during a signing ceremony at the White House. “This country is so sick because of the fake elections and the bad elections — we’re going to straighten that out one way or the other.”
The order, which builds on similar legislation passed by the Republican-led House last year, is expected to face immediate legal challenges. Voting by non-citizens in federal elections is already illegal in the United States.
Voting rights advocates and Democratic lawmakers quickly denounced the measure. Lisa Gilbert, co-president of progressive watchdog group Public Citizen, called it “a blatant attack on democracy and an authoritarian power grab.”
“This order would suppress the votes of millions, especially voters of colour, and fuel even more baseless claims of fraud,” she said.
The executive order also requires the Department of Homeland Security and the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency to audit state voter registration systems. Officials may issue subpoenas to ensure compliance, according to a White House fact sheet.
Trump, who has repeatedly claimed without evidence that he lost the 2020 election due to fraud, has made election integrity a central theme of his 2025 campaign. Critics argue the order is the latest step in a years-long effort by Republicans to restrict access to voting.
Richard Hasen, an election law expert at the University of California, warned the measure could prevent millions of eligible Americans from voting.
“This would stop only a tiny amount of non-citizen registration, but it risks disenfranchising voters who lack easy access to documents like passports,” Hasen wrote on his blog. “The aim here is voter suppression, pure and simple.”
A study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that around 21 million US citizens do not have proof of citizenship readily available.
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 18 states, Washington DC., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands currently allow mail-in ballots to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day but arrive later. Trump’s order would override these rules for federal elections.
The White House argues the changes are necessary to prevent foreign interference and ensure confidence in US elections.
However, legal analysts say the order may face constitutional hurdles, particularly over states’ rights to regulate their own election procedures.
The move marks a significant shift in federal election policy and is expected to shape legal and political debates ahead of the 2025 vote.
