WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - President Donald Trump has signed an Executive Order to strengthen election integrity by ordering citizenship verification for Federal elections and modernizing and securing mail-in and absentee ballot procedures through the United States Postal Service.
The Order directs the Secretary of Homeland Security, in coordination with the Social Security Administration, to compile and transmit to each State a State Citizenship List of confirmed U.S. citizens who will be 18 or older at the time of the next Federal election and reside in that State.
The lists will be updated and transmitted no fewer than 60 days before each regularly scheduled Federal election and individuals and States will be allowed to access, update, or correct records.
The Order directs the Postmaster General to initiate rule making to require all mail-in and absentee ballots transmitted by USPS to be placed in secure ballot envelopes marked as Official Election Mail with unique Intelligent Mail bar codes that facilitate tracking.
The Order requires the USPS to transmit ballots only to individuals enrolled on a State-specific Mail-in and Absentee Participation List, ensuring that only eligible absentee or mail-in voters receive absentee or mail-in ballots.
The Order directs the Attorney General to prioritize the investigation and prosecution, under applicable Federal statutes, of election officials, individuals, and other entities that violate the law by issuing or distributing Federal ballots to ineligible voters; and in coordination with other relevant agencies, withhold Federal funds from non-compliant States and localities, as appropriate.
The executive order is part of decisive actions that President Trump is taking to prevent non-citizens from voting in Federal elections and to protect the security of mail-in and absentee ballots.
Federal statutes explicitly prohibit non-citizens from registering to vote or casting ballots in Federal elections, yet lax verification and self-certification loopholes in some States have left gaps that undermine public confidence in election outcomes, the White House said.
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