Trump Order: No Mail-In Ballots After Election Day, Fix Risky Overseas Voting
Trump’s policy provides a commonsense solution to questionable overtime electoral victories
On March 25, President Donald Trump issued an executive order stipulating that states may not accept ballots past Election Day, among other measures aimed at bolstering the integrity of our elections.
Executive Order 14248, The Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections, notes that “federal law establishes a uniform Election Day across the Nation for Federal elections, 2 U.S.C. 7 and 3 U.S.C. 1.” The order requires “that votes be cast and received by the election date established in law.”
The order adds, “Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic.”
Democrats frequently argue that because election fraud convictions are rare, election integrity measures are unnecessary. But obtaining convictions for electoral fraud is extremely difficult, and illegally cast ballots often occur because of human error; moreover, even the suspicion of fraud can damage the democratic process.
One of the primary drivers of mistrust in elections is the time it takes some states to count mail-in ballots. Currently, 30 states allow mail-in votes to be counted past Election Day. North Carolina even gives them an additional 9 days to arrive.
Last year, Pennsylvania set the most egregious example, as officials in three Democrat-majority counties continued finding votes for Democrat Senate incumbent Bob Casey, narrowing now-Senator David McCormick’s (R) lead until the state’s Supreme Court ordered them to stop.
Because mail-in ballots generally benefit Democrats, the curing process often flips close races, raising credible questions about the curing and counting process that wouldn’t exist if election officials only counted ballots that arrive by Election Day, as the law requires.
Democrat officials in 19 states have already filed a lawsuit, alleging Trump lacks the authority to require states to only count votes received by Election Day.
Last year, however, the Fifth Circuit Court held in Republican National Committee v. Wetzel that federal statutes set “the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.”
In addition to preventing vote counting after Election Day, the executive order requires the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to update the national voter mail registration form to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship. It requires the DHS Secretary to make all necessary databases available to states at no cost and designates the DHS, coordinating with the Department of Government Efficiency administrator, to compare states’ voter lists with federal immigration records.
It also requires the DHS Secretary to alert the Attorney General and state authorities within 90 days if any foreign nationals have indicated on any immigration form that they registered to vote or have cast a ballot.
This will guarantee there is no excuse for non-citizen voting and gives states the tools they need to keep that from happening.
Fixing Overseas Voting
Executive Order 14248 also requires the Department of Defense to update the Federal Postcard Application to require proof of U.S. citizenship and eligibility for overseas voters.
As Restoration News has reported, the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) gives states wide latitude on registration and voting requirements. Many states require no ID verification, allowing anyone to cast a ballot who attests to being an eligible, overseas American voter.
For enforcement, Trump is tying federal funding through the EAC and funding for election offices from FEMA to state compliance with the law. He also authorizes the DOJ to adjust federal law enforcement grants based on states’ willingness to comply with prosecuting illegal voting.
Rep. Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ) has introduced a bill that would codify Executive Order 14248. Hopefully, Congress passes this bill to prevent a rogue ruling by the Supreme Court or preventing a future Democrat president from easily overturning Trump’s executive order.
Guaranteeing swift election results is paramount to building voter confidence in elections. Voters deserve to know who won within at least 24 hours of any election, and counting ballots for days only provokes confusion and discouragement in the democratic process.
(READ MORE: The Left Reveals Why Virginia Conservatives Should Oppose Ranked-Choice Voting)
