Trump signs order on mail-in ballots and federally run voter lists as critics vow legal challenges

CBS News • March 31, 2026 • general

Key Points:

President Trump signed an executive order mandating stricter mail-in voting rules and directing the creation of a federally prepared list of confirmed U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state, using Social Security Administration data.
The order requires states to comply with these new rules or face potential loss of federal funding, and limits the U.S. Postal Service to sending absentee ballots only to individuals on the approved lists.
Legal experts and Democratic officials have criticized the order as unconstitutional, arguing that election rules are primarily a state responsibility and that the president lacks authority to unilaterally impose such changes.
The executive order follows President Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread mail-in voting fraud and his push for Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which would require proof of citizenship for voter registration.
Concurrently, the Justice Department and Department of Homeland Security are reportedly finalizing a plan to use sensitive voter registration data for immigration and criminal investigations, raising further legal and privacy concerns.

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