President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Tuesday aimed at bolstering election integrity by directing the creation of state-specific lists of verified U.S. citizens and imposing new tracking requirements on mail-in and absentee ballots.
Titled “Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections,” the order instructs the Department of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration and other federal databases, to compile and transmit to each state’s chief election official a “State Citizenship List.” The list would identify confirmed U.S. citizens who will be at least 18 years old and reside in the state at the time of a federal election. Updates are to be provided at least 60 days before regularly scheduled federal elections, with provisions for individuals to review and correct their records.
Separately, the order directs the U.S. Postal Service to initiate rulemaking within 60 days to establish standards for mail ballots. These include requiring official election envelopes that are automation-compatible and bear a unique Intelligent Mail barcode (or successor technology) for tracking. States would provide USPS with lists of voters slated to receive mail-in or absentee ballots, and the Postal Service would generate corresponding trackable identifiers. The changes aim to ensure ballots are sent only to eligible recipients and to create an auditable trail.
The White House described the measures as necessary to reduce the risk of fraud while emphasizing that inclusion on the citizenship list does not automatically register anyone to vote; state laws and procedures still apply. Critics, including Democratic officials and voting rights groups, have vowed legal challenges, arguing the directive oversteps federal authority and could disrupt state-run elections ahead of the 2026 midterms.
