U.S. President Donald Trump has ordered sweeping changes to the country’s election laws. The Republican leader has directed multiple federal agencies to implement measures aimed at tightening voter registration, mail-in voting, and election oversight.

Under a new executive order, anyone registering for federal elections must now prove U.S. citizenship. Additionally, mail-in ballots must be received by election authorities no later than Election Day. Trump justified these measures by stating that the United States has failed to enforce „basic and necessary election protections.”

States are being asked to cooperate with federal agencies in sharing voter lists and prosecuting election-related crimes. U.S. presidents do not have the authority to directly mandate states to change their election laws. To exact compliance with his agenda, Trump plans to use financial pressure: certain federal funds will only be available to states that comply with the new rules.

After signing the order, Trump announced that further measures regarding voting would follow in the coming weeks. However, voting rights organizations are expected to challenge the order in court. They argue that approximately nine per cent of voting-age U.S. citizens—about 21.3 million people—lack proof of citizenship. Married women who have changed their last names may also face registration difficulties, as their birth certificates contain their maiden names. This issue was recently highlighted in New Hampshire elections.

Trump has repeatedly claimed that elections can be manipulated, often citing the 2020 race, which resulted in Joe Biden’s victory.