President Donald Trump signed an executive order focusing on proof of citizenship, the power of the executive branch, and federal election law. The order also directs the Department of Homeland Security to work with Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to search for voter fraud. This initiative aims to compare voter registration lists and state records to find fraudulent noncitizen voting, although evidence suggests this is rare. Previously, a voting integrity commission led by Mike Pence and Kris Kobach attempted a similar task but encountered political and legal resistance, disbanding without finding widespread fraud. Despite legal requirements, states vary in the voter data they release publicly, which could lead to inaccuracies in identifying fraud.
Experts warn that data matching across states without proper compatibility could lead to erroneous fraud claims. Democratic state election officials express concerns that the executive order may violate privacy rights, with Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon worried about the bullying tactics to obtain voter data. Simon highlighted the limitations of publicly available voter files in Minnesota, which lack certain personal information needed for a thorough review. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, another Democrat, criticized the executive order for compromising citizen privacy and potentially endangering vital election security funding that was previously cut.
Overall, the executive order has raised concerns among Democratic state officials about privacy violations, inaccurate data matching, and threats to election security funding, prompting some like Simon and Bellows to consider legal action against the directive.
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