Mia Buswell, Democracy Fellow (‘25 International Affairs)
On March 25, 2025, President Donald Trump signed the Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections executive order. What does this mean, and how will it impact future elections?
Since the beginning of his second term, President Trump has signed over 110 Executive Orders across a wide variety of policy priorities. At the end of March, Trump signed the Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections order, specifically citing the need to clamp down on voter fraud. The Order initiates reforms to the voting process, including:
- Mandating government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote.
- Moving the deadline for mail-in ballots to election day.
- Prohibiting ‘foreign nationals’ from contributing to or donating towards elections.
- Executing the voter-list maintenance requirements in compliance with the National Voter Registration Act and the Help America Vote Act.
The Trump Administration states that compared to other developed countries, the United States does not uphold basic safeguards on its elections. Specifically, the Administration cites counting ballots after Election Day and voter registrations by non-citizens as undermining the right of eligible voters to have their ballots accurately counted.
Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, Rep. Bryan Steil (WI-01), supported the Administration’s signing of the Order. “President Trump’s Executive Order is a welcome action to secure our elections and prevent foreign influence… As Chairman of the Committee on House Administration, my priority has been increasing Americans’ confidence in our elections. I look forward to working with President Trump on this critical issue to advance common sense election integrity measures in Congress” said Chairman Steil.
Other members of congress have condemned the Administration for the Order. Rep. Bobby Scott (VA-03), Rep. Nikema Williams (GA-05), Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) and Rep. Marc Veasey (TX-33), all democrats, wrote to Trump, “In no uncertain terms, we believe this order is unconstitutional, illegal, and impractical, could result in millions of voters being disenfranchised, and opens the door for false and misleading accusations of impropriety from your Administration.”
The members further claimed the Order will unequally affect marginalized communities in the election process, a sentiment held by some civil groups:
- Supporting Democracy Worldwide argued that since there is no standardized national ID system, millions of eligible voters lack federal identification, with nine percent of eligible voters lacking easy access to proof of citizenship.
- The Congressional Black Caucus Foundation claims that the Order will disproportionately impact Black voters, stating that restrictions on mail-in deadlines creates barriers for Black communities to vote.
- The League of Women Voters argued that the Order deliberately makes it harder for women to vote. They claim that approximately 80 percent of married women adopt their partner’s last name, and if the name on their ID does not match their proof of citizenship, they will be unable to vote.
- The Union of Concerned Scientists wrote, “Those from less affluent communities, communities of color, young and elderly voters, and those with disabilities are more likely to experience difficulties accessing these documents, making the order clearly discriminatory.”
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