New Delhi: US President Donald Trump Tuesday cited India and Brazil’s voter identification systems, especially the biometric database, as one of the reasons for his overhaul of the federal election system in the North American country, by requiring proof of American citizenship at the voter registration stage.
“The United States lags behind other nations in enforcing basic and necessary election protections…India and Brazil tie voter identification to a biometric database, while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship,” said the White House in a fact sheet published on Trump’s latest executive order.
The President’s latest executive order will require proof of US citizenship on electoral registration forms, as a part of his strategy to combat voter fraud, which is extremely rare in the country. Apart from India and Brazil’s voter identification systems, the White House has also cited Germany and Canada’s requirement of paper ballots and Denmark and Sweden’s limitations to mail-in voting.
“The Election Assistance Commission will require documentary, government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship on its voter registration forms,” said the White House fact sheet.
The American President has long attacked the US electoral system, especially after his electoral loss to former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. during the November 2020 elections. Trump has often claimed without proof, that the 2020 elections were stolen from him through large-scale fraudulent votes.
Trump’s attorney general at the time, William P. Barr, found no evidence of large-scale election fraud. The American President’s refusal to recognise Biden’s victory eventually saw his supporters riot in Washington D.C., attacking the Capitol Hill complex.
The rioters sought to prevent the certification of Biden’s electoral victory, which was taking place in a joint session of the US Congress. Trump’s White House at the time also sought to legally challenge the election results, however, they were rejected by the US courts. The American President also allegedly attempted to convince seven states to send alternative electors for the vote at the Electoral College.
While all of these challenges failed, Trump remained out of office until the November 2024 elections, which he won. However, this has not stopped him from cracking down on illegal immigrants allegedly listed on the US’s voter rolls under the new executive order.
Trump, who won the 2016 Presidential election through the Electoral College lost the popular vote to then Democratic candidate Hillary R. Clinton. At the time, the American President also claimed that he lost the popular vote due to voter fraud.
However, according to media reports, the new executive order will be open to legal challenges, given the complex nature of the US’s electoral registration system. Voter registration varies from state to state and territory to territory. There are no uniform rules on the last date of registration, or requirements to become a voter.
The new executive order from Trump, could possibly upend all these procedures, especially as federal funding is linked to complying with the order.
“Federal election-related funds will be conditioned on states complying with the integrity measures set forth by Federal law, including the requirement that states use the national mail voter registration form that will now require proof of citizenship…. Non-compliant states may face prioritised Federal enforcement of election integrity laws and loss of funding given their unwillingness to police fraud,” said the White House fact sheet.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
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