Earlier this week President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will overhaul U.S. Elections. If it holds, the action would require documentary proof of U.S. Citizenship to register to vote in federal elections.
Josh Douglas is a law professor at the University of Kentucky. He said there are some serious problems with this order because the U.S. Constitution says states run elections.
“Congress can make or alter those election regulations, there is no power for the president whatsoever. For him to purport to require various rules on how our elections are run are simply outside any constitutional authority he has.”
Douglas said the order will more than likely be challenged quickly in court. He also said he does not doubt that the Trump Administration will appeal any decision made by the courts against the order.
“I'll be interested to see what the Trump Administration's legal arguments are as to why they have the authority to try and regulate elections when the U.S. Constitution, quite explicitly, gives authority to states to run elections and gives Congress the power, but does not give the president any power in this realm.”
The executive order also requires all ballots be received by Election Day. It also orders states to work with federal agencies to share voter lists and prosecute election crimes, as well as threatens to pull federal funding from states that do not comply.
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