Washington [ United States On March 26 (ANI), US President Donald Trump signed on Tuesday (local time) executive order overhauling the US federal elections To implement fundamental and essential electoral safeguards utilized by contemporary, advanced, and emerging countries.
Citing examples of India And similar to other countries, the U.S. President declared that voters will henceforth need to present evidence of their citizenship when casting their ballots. federal elections and limited the duration for which states can accept mail-in votes.
Based on the information provided in the directive, nations such as India Brazil has connected voter identification with biometric database For increased precision, whereas the United States mainly depends on individuals declaring their own citizenship status, which raises issues regarding validation.
Furthermore, it was mentioned that for vote counting, both Germany and Canada require the use of paper ballots which must be tallied openly by local authorities—this approach helps reduce conflicts—while the United States uses an assortment of different voting methods, frequently resulting in problems with maintaining proper custody of votes.
The directive also underscores additional discrepancies, providing instances like Denmark and Sweden imposing restrictions. mail-in voting For individuals who cannot cast their votes in person and for those discarding ballots received after the deadline despite having a postmark, numerous U.S. states have adopted extensive use mail-in voting Some accept ballots without postmarks or those received long after Election Day.
" India and Brazil, for instance, are linking voter identification to a biometric database , while the United States largely relies on self-attestation for citizenship. In tabulating votes, Germany and Canada require use of paper ballots, counted in public by local officials, which substantially reduces the number of disputes as compared to the American patchwork of voting methods that can lead to basic chain-of-custody problems," the order read.
Moreover, whereas nations such as Denmark and Sweden prudently impose restrictions on mail-in voting to those unable to vote in person and do not count late-arriving votes regardless of the date of postmark, many American elections now feature mass voting by mail, with many officials accepting ballots without postmarks or those received well after Election Day," the order added.
As per the directive, the Election Assistance Commission must be updated within 30 days to include requirements for documentary evidence of U.S. citizenship—like a passport, REAL ID-compliant identification, military ID, or another type of government-issued photo ID showing citizenship—and also necessitates thorough documentation by state or local authorities.
Furthermore, to recognize ineligible voters, the Secretary of Homeland Security must grant state and local officials unrestricted access to citizenship verification systems, with the Secretary of State providing them with pertinent database information.
Under the National Voter Registration Act, federal agencies are required to verify citizenship prior to providing voter registration applications to individuals enrolled in public assistance programs, the directive further stated. (ANI)