Trump’s Election Order Is A Sign Of Open Rebellion Against The Country
With Congress on Spring Break, Donald Trump has once again taken matters into his own little hands and is in open rebellion against the Constitution and most of the country. His latest executive order on elections is yet another attempt to undermine free, fair, and accessible elections in this country.
Similar to the March 2025 election EO that federal courts have largely blocked from implementation, Trump repeats debunked lies about non-citizen voting and mail ballots. Trump and his allies know that citizenship verification already happens.
Nothing in this executive order concerns safety, security, or ensuring compliance with the law. It is a heavy-handed attempt to circumvent existing laws and processes. Everything Trump has tried to do to snatch electoral power has failed.
So now he wants to control not only how people vote, with severe limitations on mail ballots, but the system that verifies our very eligibility. Voter eligibility, list maintenance, and voter registration are all within the purview of the individual states.
And part of their national verification system has already been proven to have errors, including incorrectly flagging otherwise eligible voters as non-citizens.
The National Voting Rights Act of 1993 and the Help America Vote Act of 2002 both establish federal minimums for election administration. Trump’s mandate for a centralized voter list would circumvent the protections in both laws.
His new election EO would also bypass most states that have refused to hand over our full, unredacted voter rolls. Since last year, the Trump administration has sued 30 states to force compliance.
Federal judges have refused to support the administration’s demands. Even Republican controlled states have been saying hands off our voter data.
But undeterred, he’s trying to bully states into handing over our data and surrendering their constitutional authority over it and our elections.
The new EO would also force the Social Security Administration to turn over sensitive data about all of us for this effort. Data and information security have been raised as an issue by numerous states, even those that have complied with Trump’s demand.
Besides, we’ve already seen what DOGE staff tried to do with private data.
While not the first time since his return to office that Trump has stepped wildly outside the bounds of presidential authority, it is another signal to his base that he will do anything to hold power.
The move follows reports of the president’s rumored efforts to use emergency powers to exert control over our election system. In his panic over the potential outcome of the 2026 election, Trump keeps trying to tip the scales in his favor.
Despite his attempt to use TSA workers and DHS funding as leverage, the SAVE America and MEGA Acts have stalled in Congress. As each attempt to seize political power falls short, Trump and his allies keep tinkering, trying to make something stick.
The goal is simple —undermining the political will of people tired of his abuse of power and erratic leadership.
Their determination is why people must not look away and shrug off what is happening. Like most of Trump’s public actions and statements, the executive order is institutionalized disinformation and unconstitutional.
With the president and his key allies in federal and state government continuously repeating debunked lies about the 2020 election and alleged fraud, it is important that we, the people, remain vigilant in our efforts.
Trump can’t do most of the things he has tried since retaking office last year. And yet the chaos and fear across institutions continues.
Election deniers and their co-conspirators hold positions over elections at the state and local levels. Some are in Congress pushing for voter suppression legislation like the SAVE America and MEGA Acts.
States are a safeguard against Trump’s abusive power grabs
As I wrote last month, we need state and local leaders to stand in the gap with we the people, in rejecting the tyranny of an increasing minority determined to hold power at all costs.
Combined with the efforts to track and target civil society and grassroots groups as domestic terrorists or their enemies, the Trump administration is gearing up for an attack on the people we have not witnessed in this current generation.
The states have always been a testing ground for white political extremism and denials of our personhood and power. Proposed adjustments to the electoral process and election administration will impact Black political power, leadership, and organizing.
But we also need to clearly map the landscape we are currently operating within, and name the harm because Trump is not alone.
In my home state of Georgia, Republicans have spent the last several years constantly pushing voter suppression legislation and other laws that stifle and undermine Black political power.
Georgia’s next governor needs to be someone who not only will “stand up to Trump” but will fight for all Georgians against the unchecked power under the state’s gold dome. It needs to be someone who has the people’s trust and who can be trusted to protect our best interests.
The same is true for countless elections across the country happening this year. Whether in Congressional midterms or state and local races, we need to back folks who will represent our issues.
And then we show up after the elections to make sure they are supported on the follow-through and our voices are heard. The cost of living is high and unbearable for many. Health insurance premiums are through the roof.
But the current president and his acolytes across the board will not be swayed by logic or emotional appeals. They do not care about the issues of us mere mortals, so as always, we have to protect each other.
Protecting our communities and our people requires that we not only stay informed and engaged, but also find a way to plug in. As we’ve seen countless times since his return to office, the goal is to overwhelm us with his chaos and discord.
Instead of listening to take-downs of celebrities sharing recycled hot takes about the two major parties, connect with groups organizing on the ground every single day, sharing information, and volunteering when and where we can. That will make the difference in how we make it through to the other side.
SEE ALSO:
Lessons From North Carolina: A Canary In The Democracy Coal Mine
Donald Trump Attends Supreme Court Hearing On Birthright Citizenship