A mailbox for ballots is seen at a polling place on November 4, 2025 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order Tuesday that aims to restrict mail-in voting, a priority for a White House that is sure to face grave legal challenges.
Order Directs the United States Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to compile a list of voting-age U.S. citizens in each state and make it available to state election officials. The order also requires the U.S. Postal Service to only send and receive ballots containing tracking barcodes.
Trump’s order represents a major escalation of his efforts to assert presidential control over elections, which are administered by the states under the U.S. Constitution. Last year, Trump tried to unilaterally impose a citizenship requirement to vote in federal elections through an executive order that was blocked in federal court.
The move also reflects Trump and his allies’ long-standing focus on non-citizen voters. Studies have shown that voting without citizenship is extremely uncommon.
“I think it will help a lot in the election,” Trump said.
National database of adult citizens
The Department of Homeland Security operates the SAVE system, a powerful computer program that can verify citizenship.
DHS has previously invited states to conduct voter rolls through the SAVE program, which flags voters as potential foreign nationals. Some election officials criticize the system, saying it incorrectly identifies U.S. citizens as potentially ineligible.
The U.S. Department of Justice as recently as last week denied any effort to create a national voter registration list. While the executive order does not explicitly mandate the creation of a voter roll, it essentially signifies an effort by the White House to create a national database of adult U.S. citizens.
The order requires the Department of Homeland Security to allow states to routinely add to or suggest changes to each state’s citizenship list. Federal officials would also be required to allow individuals to access their own records and update or correct them before the election.
Under the order, the Postmaster General must propose a policy requiring all outgoing ballots to be mailed in an envelope containing a barcode for tracking. The order also requires states to inform the U.S. Postal Service at least 90 days before a federal election whether they intend to allow mail-in ballots.
“Instead of focusing on lowering the costs of energy, groceries and health care, Donald Trump is desperately trying to seize power, rig our elections and avoid accountability in November,” U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, said in a statement shortly after Trump announced the executive order. “This executive order constitutes a gross, unconstitutional abuse of power.”
SAVE America Act
Trump urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require individuals to provide documents such as a passport or birth certificate proving their citizenship in order to register to vote. US Senate is debating a bill, however, it seems unlikely to gain enough support to defeat a filibuster.
Trump has – Republicans asked repeatedly add three provisions to the bill, including restrictions on postal voting, with the exception of soldiers, infirmed people and people on leave.
The president also previously promised to impose voting restrictions regardless of Congress’ presence. Earlier this month Trump voted by mail in Florida.
The executive order directs the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to withhold federal funds from states and localities that do not comply with the regulations “if such withholding is authorized by law.”
Tuesday’s order is sure to face legal challenges. The Constitution gives Congress – not the president through executive order – the power to override state election laws.
Marc Elias, a prominent voting rights expert, has vowed to fight the executive order.
“If Trump signs an unconstitutional executive order to seize the vote, we will file a lawsuit,” Elias wrote on social media. “I don’t bluff and I usually win.”
Republican National Committee Chairman Joe Gruters praised the order, saying Trump was restoring voter confidence. “Protecting the ballot box in America is not optional – it is the foundation of our republic,” Grunters said.
Department of Justice Lawsuits Against States
The Department of Justice has sued 29 states and the District of Columbia over copies of voter rolls that contain sensitive personal information about voters such as driver’s licenses and partial Social Security numbers. About a dozen states have voluntarily released data, but most are fighting the demands in court.
So far, three federal judges have ruled against the Justice Department. The administration is appealing and has argued so in court documents quick court decisions are necessary to ensure the security and fairness of the midterms.
The Trump administration said the data was necessary to verify that only citizens were registered to vote. Last week, a Justice Department lawyer confirmed in court that voter information will be shared with the Department of Homeland Security.
“This may scare some people, but honestly, it’s hilarious,” David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research and a former lawyer for the U.S. Justice Department’s Voting Section, wrote on social media about Trump’s order.
“It’s clearly unconstitutional, it will be blocked immediately, and all it will accomplish is enriching liberal lawyers. He might as well sign an EO banning gravity.”
Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.
