President Trump Takes First Executive Actions on Election Integrity (Mar. 25, 2025)

"There are other steps that we will be taking in the coming weeks and we think we'll be able to end up getting fair elections."

Earlier today, President Trump signed an Executive Order dubbed, “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections.” As Stephen Miller handed him the order for the presidential signature, he (Miller) quipped that it is “the farthest-reaching executive action taken in the history of the Republic to secure our elections.” Watch that two-minute clip here.

Tomorrow’s article has now been handed to me, and I will spend hours this evening ripping through today’s order (text here) to break it down in detail for you. The most encouraging part of President Trump’s remarks today is that he said they’ve got plenty of other items they would like to address in the coming weeks to end “fake elections.”

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Miller ticked off a few of the high points covered in today’s order:

· Cuts down on illegals in the voter rolls by sharing data with DHS and requiring a citizenship question on the national voter registration form.

· Cut EAC (Election Assistance Commission) funding for states running corrupt elections (remains to be seen which criteria will be used to determine which states are corrupt)

· Instructs Department of Justice to prosecute election crimes and foreign interference

· Repeals Biden’s Executive Order 14019, “Promoting Access to Voting,” which engages government in voter registration and other items that corrupt elections

While Miller didn’t mention it today, Trump’s order begins to set forth the standard that the administration expects counting to be done on Election Day - which backs up Trump’s vow to come back for more action in the near future.

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Section 1, Purpose and Policy, lays it all out clear as to why the administration is taking on election corruption:

Despite pioneering self-government, the United States now fails to enforce basic and necessary election protections employed by modern, developed nations, as well as those still developing. India and Brazil, for example, are tying 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. Further, while countries like Denmark and Sweden sensibly limit 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.

Free, fair, and honest elections unmarred by fraud, errors, or suspicion are fundamental to maintaining our constitutional Republic. The right of American citizens to have their votes properly counted and tabulated, without illegal dilution, is vital to determining the rightful winner of an election.
Under the Constitution, State governments must safeguard American elections in compliance with Federal laws that protect Americans’ voting rights and guard against dilution by illegal voting, discrimination, fraud, and other forms of malfeasance and error. Yet the United States has not adequately enforced Federal election requirements that, for example, prohibit States from counting ballots received after Election Day or prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote.

Federal law establishes a uniform Election Day across the Nation for Federal elections, 2 U.S.C. 7 and 3 U.S.C. 1. It is the policy of my Administration to enforce those statutes and require that votes be cast and received by the election date established in law. As the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit recently held in Republican National Committee v. Wetzel (2024), those statutes set “the day by which ballots must be both cast by voters and received by state officials.” Yet numerous States fail to comply with those laws by counting ballots received after Election Day. This is like allowing persons who arrive 3 days after Election Day, perhaps after a winner has been declared, to vote in person at a former voting precinct, which would be absurd.

Several Federal laws, including 18 U.S.C. 1015 and 611, prohibit foreign nationals from registering to vote or voting in Federal elections. Yet States fail adequately to vet voters’ citizenship, and, in recent years, the Department of Justice has failed to prioritize and devote sufficient resources for enforcement of these provisions. Even worse, the prior administration actively prevented States from removing aliens from their voter lists.

Additionally, Federal laws, such as the National Voter Registration Act (Public Law 103-31) and the Help America Vote Act (Public Law 107-252), require States to maintain an accurate and current Statewide list of every legally registered voter in the State. And the Department of Homeland Security is required to share database information with States upon request so they can fulfill this duty. See 8 U.S.C. 1373(c). Maintaining accurate voter registration lists is a fundamental requirement in protecting voters from having their ballots voided or diluted by fraudulent votes.
Federal law, 52 U.S.C. 30121, prohibits foreign nationals from participating in Federal, State, or local elections by making any contributions or expenditures. But foreign nationals and non-governmental organizations have taken advantage of loopholes in the law’s interpretation, spending millions of dollars through conduit contributions and ballot-initiative-related expenditures. This type of foreign interference in our election process undermines the franchise and the right of American citizens to govern their Republic.

Above all, elections must be honest and worthy of the public trust. That requires voting methods that produce a voter-verifiable paper record allowing voters to efficiently check their votes to protect against fraud or mistake. Election-integrity standards must be modified accordingly.
It is the policy of my Administration to enforce Federal law and to protect the integrity of our election process.

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I will be back in force tomorrow with a full synopsis of the executive order and how thorough I think the points are, and will comment on what I believe is left unmitigated in today’s actions.

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Seth Keshel, MBA, is a former Army Captain of Military Intelligence and Afghanistan veteran. His analytical method of election forecasting and analytics is known worldwide, and he has been commended by President Donald J. Trump for his work in the field.