The order directs officials to enforce laws on voting and voter registration.
President Donald Trump, in an executive order on March 25, directed federal officials to take steps to make sure illegal immigrants and other noncitizens do not vote in federal elections.
The order also says the U.S. attorney general shall take action against states that count ballots received after Election Day, setting up legal showdowns.
“Election fraud. You’ve heard the term? This will end it, hopefully,” Trump said as he signed the order.
“Perhaps some people think I shouldn’t be complaining because we won in a landslide, but [we’ve] got to straighten out our election[s],” he added later.
The order says that the federal prohibition on foreigners voting in federal elections shall be enforced in part by the Election Assistance Commission, which will require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship in its mail voter registration form, with options for proving citizenship, including a U.S. passport.
The commission, which was established by Congress in 2002 and helps local officials administer elections, did not respond to a request for comment.
The order also directs Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and the Social Security Agency to make sure state and local officials have access to systems to verify the citizenship status of people who are registered to vote or who register to vote, as well as social security data. It says that the Department of Homeland Security, with the Department of Government Efficiency, shall review the publicly available voter lists from each state and compare the records to federal immigration databases.
Within 90 days of the order, Noem was told to convey information to Attorney General Pam Bondi on all foreign nationals who have indicated on immigration forms that they have registered or voted in U.S. elections.
Bondi, according to the order, shall prioritize the enforcement of laws that prevent noncitizens from voting or registering to vote. Trump also ordered Bondi to prosecute people who illegally voted, including people who voted multiple times in the same election.
