Trump says he will issue executive order to get voter-ID requirements before midterms

[BumRushDaShow]

Last edited Fri Feb 13, 2026, 08:51 PM - Edit history (2)

Source: CNBC

Published Fri, Feb 13 2026 4:51 PM EST Updated 2 Hours Ago


President Donald Trump on Friday said he will issue an executive order "shortly" laying out the "legal reasons" for national voter-identification requirements. Trump, in posts late Friday to Truth Social, said he wants voter-ID laws implemented for the 2026 midterm elections, even though legislation mandating them appears poised to stall in Congress.

"The Democrats refuse to vote for Voter I.D., or Citizenship. The reason is very simple -- They want to continue to cheat in Elections," Trump posted to Truth Social.

"This was not what our Founders desired. I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future. There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!" he continued.

In a second post, published minutes after the first, Trump said, "If we can't get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order."

Read more: https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/13/trump-congress-voter-id-midterms.html

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Article updated.

Previous article/headline -

Trump says he will issue executive order to get voter ID requirements before midterms


Published Fri, Feb 13 2026 4:51 PM EST Updated 8 Min Ago


President Donald Trump on Friday said he will "shortly" issue an executive order laying out the "legal reasons" for national voter-identification requirements.

Trump, in posts late Friday to Truth Social, said he wants voter-ID laws implemented for the 2026 midterm elections, even though legislation mandating them appears poised to stall in Congress.

"The Democrats refuse to vote for Voter I.D., or Citizenship. The reason is very simple -- They want to continue to cheat in Elections," Trump posted to Truth Social.

"This was not what our Founders desired. I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future. There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!" he continued.


This is breaking news. Please refresh for updates.

[Lovie777]

1. Doesn't work like that.......

It’s time to resign.

[Lithos]

21. Different effect

It provides a shield for Red/Purple states like Texas to crack down on voter suppression.

L-

[Bluetus]

31. Either way, we MUST educate the public and especially the MEDIA. That is not how EOs work.

An Executive order cannot create or change law, and it cannot compel action that is contrary to law.

An EO is simply that, an order to EXECUTIVE BRANCH EMPLOYEES about how they should conduct their job. It has no weight on anybody or any entity that is not directly in the President's chain of command. It cannot direct corporations to do anything. It cannot direct states to do anything. It cannot direct individuals to do anything. And it cannot direct Exec Branch employees to do anything that is against the law or outside their legal authority.

So PLEASE, I beg everyone, if you make a post about one of Trump's bullshit EOs, please take an extra 30 seconds to explain what EOs are and what they are not.

[chouchou]

34. I like your words, which are true.

[Roy Rolling]

39. Yes, nicely defined

The president can’t demand the retirees at my polling station do sh*t. Fu*k him.

[Bluetus]

43. And I should have mentioned the big 2

Above all else, an EO cannot direct any judge to do anything, and the EO cannot direct any legislator to do anything. That's called separation of powers.

[MacKasey]

2. Executive orders are worthless for making laws about elections

[quakerboy]

24. all laws or orders are as effective as the ability to enforce them

And they have a highly funded, rapidly growing, personally loyal, legally unaccountable paramilitary force with no compunction against killing citizens for no reason.

Constitutions only work if they are upheld. Ours appears to be dead paper with a reputation rather than a relevant living doccument at this point.

Barring some change, this will get a lot uglier, probably soon.

[LiberalLovinLug]

46. Yes. All the arguments in here about how its unconstitutional, so it won't happen, are naive.

If the GOP congress doesn't lift a finger, and his brown shirts accept the call for duty on election day, who is going to stop them? We already know Trump will disregard judges orders. It could be timed so that any opposition motions are just delayed and appealed to a date beyond November.

Democrats must be pro-active. They very rarely are. They are too often a reactive party. They need to be proactive more, like the swift response by Newsom to null the gerrymandering in Texas.

Mount a fierce Get out the Vote campaign. Including paying for ID for those who can't afford it. And volunteer to give transportation. Surely there are more liberal millionaires even billionaires who would donate to a fund of this non partisan endeavour.

[BlueKota]

28. What if the SC's six sycophants

rule it's constitutional even though it's not? It wouldn't be the first time they ruled against actual Constitutional law, for their orange deity.

[livetohike]

3. He has "searched the depths of Legal Arguments"

Right.

[Justice matters.]

37. Right! If his sycophantic "aides" in legal matters didn't tell him

it doesn't work like that, he would have made the EO already.

But like stated above, red states could take the bait and pass laws that require a photo ID to vote, but they are red states anyway.

OTOH, blue states will ignore his shenanigan, which will allow him to claim it was rigged.

[wcmagumba]

4. The federal government does not control state elections or id requirements for the states...

[twodogsbarking]

5. Let's think positive. He may, well, you know.

[bluestarone]

6. I know for sure, from all my friends here that what TSF is saying is

BULLSHIT!! He has NO AUTHORITY to do any of this. My biggest concern is ICE and how THEY could destroy our midterm election. SCARY days ahead.

[onenote]

7. "researched the depths of legal arguments not yet articulated or vetted."

The chances Trump wrote that are approximately 0.0 percent.

[paleotn]

8. No there won't. Shut the fuck up, Donnie.

[Fiendish Thingy]

9. Impotent POTUS says what?

The states will ignore his EO, just like they ignored all the others.

[msongs]

10. unfortunately voter ID is popular. just what kind is the sticking point. here in hawaii one has to provide ID to

register, mostly for proof of residency. I dont recall having to show ID at the voting place. there is a huge vote by mail turnout here

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Here in Philly

we only need to show an ID if voting "in person" for the very first time and/or if changing voting division due to a move, and voting in that polling place for the first time. If requesting an absentee ballot (either "no excuse" or as a regular absentee), then some kind of ID verification is required (driver's license number or last 4 digits of SS#) to apply for a ballot.

After that when voting, no ID is needed and the voter still needed to sign-in before voting (I'm guessing with signature check as I stopped doing in person during the pandemic in 2020 and haven't done in person since). I know they updated to using the electronic poll books after I stopped in-person voting and I think that is how people now sign in (used to be big binders with pages of names and a line to sign).

[LetMyPeopleVote]

11. In January, trump's March executive order on elections was struck down

trump cannot change state election laws by executive order. The last election executive order was struck down. trump needs for congress to act which is NOT going to happen

Link to tweet

https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-there-will-be-voter-i-d-for-the-midterm-elections-whether-approved-by-congress-or-not/

In January, a federal court issued a permanent injunction against Trump’s March, 2025 executive order that attempted to require documentary proof of citizenship on voter registration and limitations on mail-in ballots. In her opinion, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, articulated why the Founders entrusted administration of elections first with the states in the Constitution’s Election’s Clause.

“The Framers of our Constitution recognized that power over election rules could be abused, either to destroy the national government or to disempower the people from acting as a check on their elected representatives,” Kollar-Kotelly wrote. “Accordingly, they entrusted this power to the parts of our government that they believed would be most responsive to the will of the people: first to the States, and then, in some instances, to Congress.

The idea that immigrants are being brought into the United States to vote is a far-right conspiracy theory that has been repeatedly disproven. It is already illegal for noncitizens to vote, and those that do so intentionally are easily caught, prosecuted, imprisoned for years, and then deported, all for the chance to cast a single ballot out of hundreds of thousands. Consequently, noncitizen voting is exceptionally rare, as election officials and court findings across the country have persistently shown.

Similarly, mail-in ballots are popular across the country and have shown no evidence of being particularly susceptible to electoral fraud. The SAVE America Act would not limit mail-in ballots, but another bill recently introduced in the House, the Make Elections Great Again Act, would.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

12. The Constitution blocks presidents from changing election rules.

Link to tweet

[Puppyjive]

13. It takes one to know one

Trump and MAGA are the cheaters

[JohnnyRingo]

15. Just like it's the Gulf of America whether Congress wants it or not.

I read a newspaper every day. No one uses that name, or Dept of War.

No mention of how he's going to enforce it in blue states.

[Polybius]

20. Google uses it

I just checked Google Maps.

[LymphocyteLover]

23. Yeah, and fuck them for that. I've avoided using google since they capitulated to the orange POS POTUS

[pazzyanne]

32. Same! n/t

[Polybius]

48. What do you use for navigation?

I'm out of options.

[JohnnyRingo]

41. Google has monopoly suits against them.

Sure, they could grow a backbone and spit in his eye, but they might not like the consequences.
AP and Reuters have a 1st amendment shield around them, but Google is a business, and yes, they probably are close to a monopoly. They can temporarily appease him and continue to enjoy that advantage.

It's too bad when companies knuckle under for him, and it certainly frustrates that he can influence them, but he's the president that breaks things.

It seems like their cooperation is half hearted anyway. I searched Gulf of America:

[img][/img]

[ChicagoTeamster]

16. It might not work that way but this will be his rationale for having ICE disrupt elections in Blue states and cities.

[Prairie Gates]

17. Judgment is coming, Mr. Trump

[BaronChocula]

18. "...laying out the 'legal reasons' for national voter-identification requirements."

So basically filing a brief no one will read. It's already in the FOANX News script.

[flashman13]

19. Trump could not possibly have written that post. There are far too many multi syllable words in it.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

22. Stephen Miller must be blowing smoke up his ass again

[3825-87867]

25. I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject,

And if they've not been "articulated etc" then how could he have searched...blah, blah, blubber.

[Mr.Bee]

26. Whatever Happened to STATES RIGHTS

Is being in love with trump mean you have to give up Republicants demands about
States Rights over their elections and how they're handled??

States, Not the President, Run Elections in America

[Tree Lady]

38. Basically it's republican rights

Whatever they want.

[Vinca]

27. The Sharpie he uses to sign it will be worth more than the EO. He ought to read the Constitution.

[ashredux]

29. He thinks he is a king.... His dementia is getting worse.

[thought crime]

30. Prepare for disruption of mid-term elections.

We need to have legal strategies to help prevent disruption, because they mean to do it.

[gopiscrap]

33. if this passes we need a GoFund Me to raise money to

help folks get ID

[DallasNE]

35. How Would This Not Violate The 10th Amendment?

As well as the Articles in the Constitution assigning elections to the States? I presume Trump will claim emergency powers override the clear intent.

[pat_k]

36. It's a tantrum response to Thune telling him they don't have the votes to nuke the filibuster

I have no doubt that Trump has been trying to strongarm/bully Thune to whip his conference to vote to nuke the filibuster.

As I posted in another thread

Expect renewed demands from the felon to go nuclear to get SAVE passed

Fingers crossed that enough Republicans would vote against ending the filibuster, but I expect that ENORMOUS pressure will be put on Thune to whip his conference into nuking the filibuster.

The felon is hellbent on doing everything in his power to end free and fair elections in the United States. To that end, I have no doubt the regime will pull out all the stops in their efforts to get the new version of the SAVE act passed in the Senate.

We must not underestimate the regime's determination on this.

As long as our elections are capable of measuring the true will of the American people (even imperfectly), we can thwart their effort reshape the U.S. into the mold of other illiberal democracies.

They know this.

I suspect this EO will never actually materialize. It has the ring of other angry threats to do this or that "shortly" that have gone by the wayside. Of course, sycophants may come up with some bullshit EO to placate him, but if they do, I would be SHOCKED if it weren't universally rejected by the courts -- including SCOTUS.

[Blumancru]

40. The Feds have no authority in elections

It falls to the individual states. The states that will honor this Executive Order are states that vote red anyway. I don’t think this will have much effect.
Interesting and a little off subject that there is nothing in the constitution requiring a popular vote for president. The states can choose the electors any way they want to. The legislature can appoint them or whatever.

[maxrandb]

42. "Quiet! QUIET!! Piggy!!!"

[Ol Janx Spirit]

44. "I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and...

...will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future" has got to be the least-believable most-hilarious thing I have ever heard from a Turnip social media post....



I don't know who wrote that, but they deserve a Comedy Central award of some kind. Pure comic gold.

And I appreciate the hardy laugh it elicited in these dark times.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

45. MaddowBlog-Trump falsely claims that the U.S. is 'the only country that has mail-in ballots'

The president might be surprised to learn just how many longtime democracies with advanced economies rely on postal balloting without incident.

Trump falsely claims that the U.S. is ‘the only country that has mail-in ballots’
The president might be surprised to learn just how many longtime democracies with advanced economies rely on postal balloting without incident.

— Donna898 (@donna-f898.bsky.social) 2026-02-13T21:18:49.709Z

https://www.ms.now/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/trump-falsely-claims-that-the-u-s-is-the-only-country-that-has-mail-in-ballots

For many years, millions of American voters have cast ballots through the mail without incident. Secure systems were created in red states and blue states alike; the public found the practice convenient; the process has long featured reliable safeguards; and even the most ardent election conspiracy theorists struggled to uncover any meaningful evidence of fraud or irregularities.

Donald Trump has nevertheless convinced himself that postal balloting is a national scourge that needs to be dramatically curtailed.

Trump: "We're the only country in the world that has mail in ballots"

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar.com) 2026-02-12T19:09:59.328Z

....So, a few things.

First, I have no idea how Trump came to believe that voting by way of the mail is inherently corrupt. It’s not, and he has never offered anything resembling evidence to the contrary. He just keeps asserting the falsehood, apparently hoping that nonsense will become true by way of repetition.

If the president ever uncovers anything to bolster his claim, he’s welcome to present his findings to the public. In the meantime, however, his assertions are impossible to believe.

Second, the idea that no other country allows its citizens to vote through the mail is ridiculously untrue. Around the world, many countries, including longtime democracies with advanced economies, rely on postal balloting without incident.

30 countries use mail voting

— Ari Berman (@ariberman.bsky.social) 2026-02-12T21:21:07.509Z

Third, Republican Party officials, at both the state level and national level, have practically begged Trump to stop lying about this because they want the GOP base to take advantage of mail-in voting. The more the president pushes these false claims, the more his followers believe him, which in turn creates problem for Republicans.

Finally, the American mainstream appears to have already made up its mind: A Pew Research Center poll last summer found that a 58% majority of Americans favor allowing any voter to cast their ballot by mail if they want to.

I have been working on voter protection for a long time. After the SCOTUS gutted the voting rights act and Texas adopted voter id, the Democratic Party started encouraging Democratic voters to use voter id. Back in 2010, the GOP had three times the number of ballots cast by mailed compared to Democrats. Vote by mail used to be a major element of the GOP GOTV efforts. I remember getting vote by mail applications from GOP groups

trump is hurting a major element of the GOP GOTV plans.

[bromeando]

47. Voter ID

States should not follow trump's illegal orders