Trump signs mail-in voting executive order, claims cheating has been ‘legendary’

President Donald Trump signed a sweeping executive order targeting mail-in voting and voter eligibility on Tuesday, calling the move a major step toward restoring confidence in U.S. elections.

Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the order focused on “voter integrity and Mail-in ballots” and “stopping the massive fraud that’s going on.”

“We’re going to sign an executive order,” Trump said. “This is, I believe, flawless… I think it is very clear what is being said.”

The order directs federal agencies to work with states to compile lists of eligible voters using federal citizenship and identification data, while also instructing the U.S. Postal Service to develop new security measures for mail-in ballots, including barcode tracking and verification measures.

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According to the decision, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), working with the Social Security Administration and other federal databases, will create “State Citizenship Lists” and share them with state election officials.

The lists are intended to identify individuals who are verified U.S. citizens who will be at least 18 years of age as of the date of the federal election and who reside in that state.

According to the decision, these lists will be updated and forwarded to the states before the federal elections.

The order also directs the attorney general to prioritize investigations and possible prosecutions of officials or others who issue ballots to people who are not eligible to vote in federal elections, as well as people involved in the “printing, production, transportation, or distribution of ballots” for voters who are not eligible to vote.

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President Donald Trump addressed members of the media gathered after signing an executive order in the Oval Office on Tuesday. (Aaron Schwartz/CNP/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

For mail-in ballots, the executive order calls on the postmaster general to initiate a rulemaking process within 60 days. Proposed changes include requiring ballots to be clearly marked as official election mail, including a unique Smart Mail barcode or similar tracking technology, and revising the Postal Service design.

The order also outlines a system under which states would notify USPS if they plan to use mail-in or absentee ballots and submit lists of eligible voters and allow the Postal Service to keep turnout records tied to ballot distribution.

Trump framed the changes as a direct response to what he described as long-standing security vulnerabilities in mail-in voting.

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Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick (left) watches as President Donald Trump prepares to sign an executive order addressing mail-in voting. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

“Mail voting fraud is legendary,” he said. “What happened is terrible.”

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said the administration is pushing for a system that ties each ballot to a traceable envelope.

“If you voted by mail, you will see that on the envelope,” Lutnick said. “There will be a million envelopes… and you’ll be able to know with full accuracy that citizens voted.”

Trump said additional election-related measures are also being considered, including voter ID and proof of citizenship requirements.

“We want to have a voter ID, we want to have a citizenship certificate…we’re working on that,” he said.

He also argued that opposition to such measures was politically motivated.

“The only people who don’t want to do voter ID are the cheaters,” Trump said.

Trump acknowledged the order could face legal challenges but said he believed it would withstand those challenges.

“I don’t know how this could be objected to,” Trump said after signing the order. “You can get a rogue judge… but that’s the only way to change.”

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The executive order states that voting in federal elections is reserved “exclusively for U.S. citizens” and argues that additional safeguards are necessary to “maintain public confidence in election results.” It also notes that ballot identifiers such as barcodes can help ensure that only eligible voters receive and cast ballots.

Trump addressed the issue in a much broader sense.

“If you don’t have an honest vote,” he said, “you can’t really have a nation.”