Make no mistake about it. He’s out to stop this election one way or the other. Trump has denied that he is considering such a plan, but all you have to do is take a look at what he is doing. Trump is considering a plan to issue one of his famous executive orders that would declare a national emergency based on alleged election interference from a foreign government in order to exert control over the 2026 midterm elections. According to Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution, Trump has no authority or means to unilaterally make or alter the rules for Federal elections.
Congress under Article I, Section 4 of the Constitution. Since when has Trump had any respect for the Constitution?
The executive order cites seventeen pages of multiple legal authorities for rewriting every aspect of how our elections are administered. This executive order is an attempt to set new rules to include how the ballots are printed, how the election officials check the votes at the polls, and prohibit mail-in ballots
The leaked 17-page draft of the potential EO cites multiple legal authorities for rewriting virtually every aspect of how elections are administered, how Americans cast a ballot, and how states report and certify election results. The leaked draft is so detailed that it attempts to set new rules even for how ballots are printed and how election officials check in voters at polling places. It would prohibit most Americans from casting a mail ballot and would require every American already registered to vote to re-register in person at an election office for the 2026 midterm elections by proving their citizenship using only their birth certificate, passport, or naturalization certificate. These are similar requirements to the SAVE Act that the Republicans are trying to pass with Trump’s blessing. Trump has stated that if the SAVE Act should pass, Republicans will not lose another race for the next “fifty years.” This is not about elections. This is about control and manipulation.
The executive order cites legal authorities, including the National Emergencies Act, Federal Information Security Modernization Act, Defense Production Act, and a law related to Federal holidays.
Our forefathers wrote the Constitution to give the states the power to administer Federal elections, with Congress having the authority to set the national guidelines. This has proved that the states have the capability of running free and fair elections.
In 2020, when our nation was under a state of emergency due to Covid 19, the states used their authority to adjust election dates and take other measures to help boost public safety, ultimately administering safe and secure elections. The Constitution clearly gives states, with Congress as a backstop, the power to administer elections, and they have done so through multiple true national emergencies and tests of national sovereignty, including wars and pandemics.
Trump’s executive order is nothing less than another one of his anti-democratic attempts to spread his lies about the security of American elections to deny the people their right to vote. It is an attempt to sabotage the election results to lock in his political power. We, the people, cannot stand back and allow this to happen. This is nothing but an authoritarian power grab.
Lynda Kirkpatrick