Donald Trump allies have leaked what they say is a 17-page draft executive order that would declare a national emergency over U.S. elections, giving the president sweeping powers to reshape voting rules nationwide ahead of the midterms.
According to The Washington Post, the draft order claims that China interfered in the 2020 election, using that as justification to grant the president authority to impose voter ID requirements, ban mail-in ballots, and even ban certain voting machines.
Peter Ticktin, a lawyer tied to the draft order, told The Post that Trump is “aware that there are foreign interests that are interfering in our election processes. That causes a national emergency where the president has to be able to deal with it.”
The draft claims China interfered in the 2020 election, which Trump lost to Joe Biden. But a declassified intelligence review under the Biden administration concluded that while China considered attempts to influence the election, they never carried them out.
Trump’s national intelligence chief, Tulsi Gabbard is reportedly reviewing election security with a focus on foreign interference. Meanwhile, the FBI recently seized ballots from the 2020 election in Fulton County, Georgia, adding fuel to ongoing claims of election fraud.
Trump has promised to impose voter ID requirements himself by the November midterms if Congress fails to act. On Truth Social, he wrote on February 13: “I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future… I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order.”
Democrats have slammed the proposals, arguing that bans on mail-in ballots and strict ID rules suppress votes, especially among elderly Americans and minority communities.
Ticktin, who represented a county official pardoned by Trump in December, said he has “certain co-ordination” with the White House but declined to name any officials. A White House spokesperson downplayed the reports, calling them speculation but reiterated that Trump supports “accurate voter rolls and legislation establishing uniform voter ID standards, banning no-excuse mail-in voting, and ending ballot harvesting.”
If enacted, the order would be an unprecedented federal takeover of elections, giving Trump direct authority to dictate voting rules nationwide** — a move that critics warn could undermine democracy itself.
