Trump says he plans unconstitutional executive order to mandate ID for voters

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/31/trump-order-voter-identification

Donald Trump has said he will issue an executive order to mandate identification for all US elections, a move likely to be challenged in court as unconstitutional.

"Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!,” the US president said on Truth Social late on Saturday.

Trump also claimed he wants to ban all voting by mail except for those who are very ill or in military service.

The US constitution grants primary authority to regulate elections to the US states, while empowering Congress to enact election laws or regulations. It gives no explicit authority to the president to regulate voting.

460 points · 74 comments · view on lemmy.world

74 Comments

gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works · 93 pts · 346d (1 reply)

Bonesince1997@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 346d

Keep going

blattrules@lemmy.world · 56 pts · 346d (1 reply)

Can he just go back to being dead?

HeyThisIsntTheYMCA@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 345d

that photo is from tuesday. not sure he ain't

StrawberryPigtails@lemmy.sdf.org · 43 pts · 345d (5 replies)

He can fuck on off. That’s up to the States.

zbyte64@awful.systems · 4 pts · 345d

And admission to the capital is up to the don now.

this@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 345d (3 replies)

Yea, how the fuck is he even gonna enforce that?

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 8 pts · 345d

By bullying and threats, just like he enforces his unlawful interference in the policies of universities and private corporations.

tree_frog_and_rain@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 345d

National Guard in major cities.

tabarnaski@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 345d

He doesn't need to: nobody's resisting.

DirkMcCallahan@lemmy.world · 40 pts · 346d

I like the way the headline implies that he openly admitted that the order would be unconstitutional.

Diddlydee@feddit.uk · 37 pts · 346d (13 replies)

He'll be dead before the next election.

Bet your house on it.

alekwithak@lemmy.world · 67 pts · 346d

No thanks, betting against this man hasn't worked out for me yet, and I'm much too poor to spare the roof over my head when reality bends over backwards to appease this man again.

Sir_Kevin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 21 pts · 346d (6 replies)

You guys own houses?

Zagam@piefed.social · 15 pts · 346d (3 replies)

I do but only by right of conquest. Or whatever it's called when your parents die and leave you the house they had their parents help them get.

No1@aussie.zone · 3 pts · 345d (2 replies)

Bequest?

Unless you stole their land and killed your parents.....😳

Zagam@piefed.social · 2 pts · 345d

Killed my... Wait,. What? Noooooo. Nothing like that. Wh... Why do you ask? Are you a cop? Nope. Definitely meant bequest.

Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works · 1 pts · 345d

The natural progression of property.

distantsounds@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 346d

House owning guys are betting on shit,,get in

TimewornTraveler@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 1 pts · 345d

yeah! believe it or not. we bought ours the same year John Oliver told us we never would

DoucheBagMcSwag@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 6 pts · 345d

Grant imahara who actually had something to give to this world died in his '50s unexpectedly from an aneurysm.

Don't bet your fucking life on it with how karma doesn't work

SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 346d

Yeah, because there won't be another election while that shit stain is still alive

whiwake@lemmy.cafe · 3 pts · 346d

Nah, he’s gonna live to the age of his father

Chozo@fedia.io · 2 pts · 346d

🤞

tree_frog_and_rain@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 345d

And if needed the tech fascists will pull a Weekend at Bernie's using AI and body doubles. Assuming they don't believe JD is up for the job.

Fascism isn't ending with him dieing.

Bet your life on it.

CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world · 30 pts · 346d

So sick of just one fucking asshole in this country able to torment millions of us.

takeda@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 30 pts · 346d (2 replies)

Cool, and he also will release the unredacted Epstein files like he promised.

zbyte64@awful.systems · 10 pts · 345d (1 reply)

Only if we beat it from him like a pinata.

Rcklsabndn@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 345d

Why not both?

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 29 pts · 345d

The use of executive orders to rule by decree is itself unconstitutional.

Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca · 23 pts · 345d (1 reply)

Um, so this IS the party of "small government", yes?

hexagon@lemmy.ml · 1 pts · 345d

If by government you mean penis

Dogiedog64@lemmy.world · 20 pts · 345d

Hey Donny, that's great and all, but where are the Epstein files? Inquiring minds need to know!

Atomicbunnies@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 17 pts · 345d (6 replies)

EOs arnt laws.. Congress still has to make them into laws.

zbyte64@awful.systems · 23 pts · 345d (5 replies)

There's the legal tactic of: do now and ask for forgiveness never. It works really well when there are no legal consequences.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 4 pts · 345d (1 reply)

It works really well when there are no legal consequences.

There are other consequences than legal ones.

Pofski@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 345d

none so far i would say.

mic_check_one_two@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 345d

Yup, flood the courts and demand appeals whenever judges block things. The goal is to overwhelm the system in the short term. While judges and lawyers are busy setting court dates that are weeks away, the regime will carry on as if the EO is legal.

Atomicbunnies@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 345d (1 reply)

But it isn't even a legal tactic. EOs mean nothing. They are not laws.

zbyte64@awful.systems · 4 pts · 345d

They obviously mean something until they are stuck down, and even then...

elucubra@sopuli.xyz · 16 pts · 345d (8 replies)

You don't have to have proof of identity to vote in the US?

impeccablepenguin@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 17 pts · 345d (7 replies)

In states that do not require an ID, you still need to present a document with your name. It is then compared with the voter registration database. The argument against requiring an ID is that ID's aren't free in the US, which can cause a financial hurdle for many.

Pyr_Pressure@lemmy.ca · 16 pts · 345d (3 replies)

Sounds like a solution would be some sort of national ID card provided for free?

xycu@programming.dev · 25 pts · 345d (1 reply)

Republicans and conservatives, historically, have been the biggest opponents of a national ID because they don't want the federal government tracking them or asserting any control over anything.

Until trump, anyway...

elucubra@sopuli.xyz · 1 pts · 345d

That's rich

frongt@lemmy.zip · 7 pts · 345d

Yes, but that would actually be a good thing so it's never happened.

Uruanna@lemmy.world · 16 pts · 345d

And there's additional hurdles for more targeted populations, like access to the place that gives you the ID, and the capacity to prove your ID to that place with specific documents that may ormay not exist. It's on purpose.

Treczoks@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 345d

Heck, personal ID is not free in my country, either (I paid 43€ for a renewal last week), but it is mandatory, so everyone has it. Americans could do it even cheaper if they wanted.

With so low levels of identity proof in the US, don't complain about identity theft. Here, you simply can't open a bank account with just an SSN drawn from the darknet and a self-printed electricity bill. Having a proper ID has many uses, way beyond identifying for your right to vote.

RaivoKulli@sopuli.xyz · 2 pts · 345d

What sort of documents could you provide?

foggy@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 346d (2 replies)

Papers please

Endymion_Mallorn@kbin.melroy.org · 10 pts · 346d (1 reply)

Glory to Arstotzka.

Kolanaki@pawb.social · 14 pts · 346d

I have. Is all good, yes?

atzanteol@sh.itjust.works · 14 pts · 345d (1 reply)

I Will Be Doing An Executive Order

President of the United States.

ChickenLadyLovesLife@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 345d

Trump is way too fucking lazy to press the shift key before every word. I just do not believe that he writes his own tweets. I'd like to see just one video of him visibly typing out a tweet that is then published. I'd bet that if you cross-referenced when his tweets are posted with his golf schedule, you'd find that at least some of them are written by somebody else.

WanderWisley@lemmy.world · 11 pts · 345d

Can we 100% confirmed that Donny actually made this statement and that it wasn’t a body double? And also RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES.

Colonel_Panic_@eviltoast.org · 8 pts · 345d (6 replies)

Fucking hell I hate to even say this, but this might be the first thing he has ever done that I might agree with. But hear me out before you crucify me.

There isn't rampant voter fraud near to the level MAGA claims. They imply it's 50% fraudulent. It's really like 1% or less, and most of that gets caught anyway already.

I do think it is important to validate that the person casting the vote is registered and is the correct person casting the vote. But I would balance that requirement with common sense and I'd make getting any/all valid IDs easy and free (fully tax funded). From DL to Real ID to Military or whatever else. All free. All simple to get. All accessible to do. And I'd also make all elections a national holiday and expand mail in and online voting and early voting. Give people as much margin to get their vote in as possible.

Elections do need security, hell, I'm still not entirely convinced that Elon didn't do SOMETHING nefarious in this last one. He at very least was paying people which is illegal. But we need better encryptions and processes and forms of certifying that the ballots cast were indeed the correct intended vote and ways to go back and validate your own vote in a secure way. Make a portal where you can log in like your bank and see your vote history or something.

While we're at it. Abolish the damn college. Just make it all RCV and be done with all this shit with gerrymandering and arguing over the "least worst' candidate every cycle.

smayonak@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 345d

Much less than 1%. Voter Fraud is so rare that it has no impact on elections. However the Republicans have been trying to pass a federal voter ID law (the SAVE act) which creates substantial barriers for married women who changed their last name from voting. The additional barriers will destroy democracy.

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-voting-rights-groups-warn-the-save-act-may-make-it-harder-for-married-women-to-vote

JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca · 5 pts · 345d (3 replies)

Republicans would never win if they did all that, and Democrats would immediately be seriously challenged by Progressive candidates, so they aren't interested either.

smayonak@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 345d (2 replies)

They would never lose again if they did roll out a federal voter ID law:

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/why-voting-rights-groups-warn-the-save-act-may-make-it-harder-for-married-women-to-vote

They could at will pass federal laws that disenfranchise anyone who votes against their agenda.

JoeBigelow@lemmy.ca · 4 pts · 345d (1 reply)

Of course, if the legislation they passed only incorporated voter ID and not any of the other stuff the person I was replying to spoke of, including ranked choice

smayonak@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 345d

Thats the scam: they know most Americans support basic voter id requirements and dont read the news. So Americans would tacitly support a national voter ID requirement (which itself violates the constitution) without realizing that it would prevent many women from voting. Voter ID laws are a Trojan horse for rolling back democratic controls on fascism.

Pacattack57@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 345d

I was typing up a comment to say this but when I really started thinking about it it’s not feasible to use IDs. The whole reason it’s unconstitutional is it directly targets poor people and prevents them from voting. ID centers would have to be open 7 days a week. All other forms of IDs needed to obtain a voter ID would also have to be free, and those places would have to be open 7 days also.

There’s just too much that would have to go into making it fair for every citizen.

Treczoks@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 345d

He does care fuck if it is "legal" or "constitutional". Those terms do no longer exist as criteria.

Nougat@fedia.io · 7 pts · 346d

I'm very ill.

HubertManne@piefed.social · 7 pts · 345d

Also there will be underwear inspections and all underwear must now be worn on the outside of pants.

HurlingDurling@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 345d

This was the plan for the "Real ID" all along

robocall@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 345d

I can't see California ever enforcing this

Master@sh.itjust.works · 4 pts · 345d (1 reply)

Already have to do this in a lot of states. Have to show my drivers license and compare my signature in Alabama before I can vote.

phutatorius@lemmy.zip · 18 pts · 345d

Yes, that's because the Constitution says it's up to the states to manage their elections. It is not up to Congress, and it sure as shit is not a power of the President.

DeathByBigSad@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 345d

Soviet Anthem Intensifies

omzeyad25@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 345d
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itisileclerk@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 345d (1 reply)

In normal democratic countries "VoterID" is either National ID card or Passport. In "new" democratic countries (like mine) we sign the voter list (not the ballot), signature is compared visualy with signature on the ID card or Passport. Also picture from the ID card is printed on voter list so visual comparioson is made. Since last elections we are checked with fingerprint reader, again compared with fingerprint deposited when ID card or Passport was issued. Never had any problems or delays during voting. I bet US invented all that technology. But despite so many controls, there are many ways to commit voter fraud, especially in areas where voters are poor.

theparadox@lemmy.world · 9 pts · 345d

Ever since I can remember, I've already had to sign the voter list in the US. No photo though, just a signature comparison. Also, the amount of voter fraud in the US is extremely low. Like usually less than 0.0001%.

andrewta@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 345d

Give no explicit authority to the executive branch, but that isn’t gonna matter to Trump nor the Supreme Court

MeThisGuy@feddit.nl · -2 pts · 345d

wait.. so you guys are worried about having to identify yourself to vote?

meanwhile you are registered multiple times a day through license plate identification, CCTV cameras, facial recognition, and not to mention your google/Apple device usage and browser and other digital fingerprinting