Trump is trying to cheat already
Would anyone be surprised that Donald Trump is trying to fiddle with election law? Not unless they’ve been living under a rock. Trump has signed yet another executive order designed to circumvent Congress and the Constitution. This order makes it harder to vote. He cannot limit our ability to vote; the right to vote is a right with which we were born in this country. Trump’s executive order requires proof of citizenship to register and vote in federal elections. According to Forbes, those requirements include a U.S. passport, a Real ID-compliance driver’s license, a military ID, or a federal or state government-issued ID. He has also “ruled” (used facetiously since he thinks he’s a king) that mail-in ballots may not be counted after Election Day. Sorry, dude, but if they’re postmarked prior to Election Day, those votes count. Unfortunately, Elon Musk will be involved, working with the Department of Homeland Security to review each state’s registration list and “voter list maintenance activities.”
All of this is happening because, as we all know, Trump continues to claim voter fraud in the 2020 election. You won this time; let it go, man. Associated Press analyzed every claimed case of voter fraud and found fraud to be “minimal;” meaning, those fraudulent votes had no hope of changing the outcome of the election. Indeed, Trump’s own campaign commissioned a study that found no widespread election fraud. Even as Trump and his campaign continued the lie about fraud, they knew it was not true. None of that matters to Trump. He merely wants to decrease the amount of people who can vote. According to Campaign Legal Center, requiring proof of citizenship knocks more than 21 million Americans out of the election booth because they don’t have the proper identification. The Washington Post calls it “trying to rig the midterms with a new illegal order.”
As usual, Trump is claiming power he doesn’t have, which means he likely has more lawsuits in his future. The U.S. Constitution controls power of elections in the states, and only Congress can step in to override election laws. The president does not have the power to make the changes Trump has written in his order. Trump has been overstepping Congress (and the Constitution) in virtually everything he has done to date. He is getting away with it because Congress is currently majority Republican, and none of them have the balls to stand up to him, even when they know he’s wrong. This should get us motivated to give the majority to Democrats in the midterms. He won’t be passing his illegal executive orders if Democrats carry the majority.
Constitutional lawyers and professors are calling Trump’s move wrong. Wendy Weiser, VP for Democracy at the Brennan Center for Justice, said: “This executive order is unlawful. …The president cannot override a statute passed by Congress that says what is required to register to vote.” Trump has not gone back on his word to be a dictator. That is exactly how he behaves. We the people have the power, and he’s going to find that out soon enough.
Shirley is a former entertainment writer and has worked in the legal field for over 25 years