Trump: There Will Be Voter ID Requirements One Way Or Another For Midterms

Can he do this?

Trump pushes voter ID ‘whether approved by Congress or not!’

President Donald Trump insisted Friday that voter ID requirements will be in place for this year’s midterm elections regardless of congressional approval, escalating his push for sweeping changes to how Americans vote.

“There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!” the president wrote on Truth Social. He also said he “searched the depths” of legal arguments on the issue and would be “presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future,” though he did not specify what legal rationale he would rely on.

“If we can’t get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted,” Trump wrote in a separate lengthy post shortly after, adding that he would present his justification in the form of an executive order.

Trump has been personally involved in efforts to tighten voter registration standards nationwide, backing the SAVE America Act — an updated GOP election bill that would overhaul federal voting rules. The legislation would require voters to show proof of citizenship to register, mandate photo ID when voting in person and direct states to remove noncitizens from existing voter rolls.

All those things, particularly the last two, are extremely popular with the American people. The question is, can he do this? Is there language in previously passed legislation that authorizes the Executive Branch to do this? I mean, Obama and Biden sure used little language to force EOs through. And Congress has done a stellar job in writing legislation over the last 50 years that is entirely to open, giving the Executive enormous latitude to manufacture EOs. Where’d the contraception mandate come from? There’s nothing in Obamacare about it. Zip. Nada. Was there something in other legislation?

But, I’m not sure how I feel about this if Trump does it unless there is some pretty damned good language from legislation. Things like this should be authorized specifically by Congressional legislation. That’s the way the system is supposed to work. So, I guess we wait to see what the EO lays out if Trump releases it.