President Donald Trump announced Saturday that he intends to issue an executive order requiring voter identification for all ballots cast in U.S. elections.
“Voter I.D. must be part of every single vote. No exceptions! I will be issuing an executive order to that end,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. He also said he would restrict mail-in voting to military members serving overseas and individuals who are seriously ill.
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Trump has long criticized electronic voting machines, advocating instead for paper ballots and hand counts. Election officials across the country, however, have noted that paper-only systems are slower, more costly, and less accurate than machine tabulation.
Earlier this month, Trump also pledged to end the use of mail-in ballots and voting machines before the 2026 midterm elections. It remains unclear whether a president has the constitutional authority to impose such changes, since federal elections are administered primarily at the state level.
The November 2026 elections will mark the first nationwide test of Trump’s policies since his return to office in January. Democrats are expected to focus their efforts on regaining control of Congress in an attempt to limit the administration’s domestic agenda.
