An Ohio voter prepares to cast a ballot.
Alyssa Sharp casts her ballot on May 6, 2025 in Columbus, Ohio.
An Ohioan fills out a ballot on May 6, 2025.

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump is plowing ahead with efforts to change election rules despite initial court rulings that he doesn’t have the power to do so.

Trump said Aug. 30 that he would sign an executive order requiring voters provide identification in every election.

An executive order Trump signed in March requiring people to show government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections has been blocked by the courts.

“The Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections,” U.S. District Judge Denise Casper in Massachusetts wrote in June.

In April, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., reached the same conclusion.

Here’s what you need to know.

What does Trump want to do?

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said: "Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!”

He did not say what type of identification he wants to require, when he would sign the order or why he has the authority to impose the rule.

What voter identification is required now?

Thirty-six states require voters to show some form of identification at the polls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Depending on the state, the identification can be a photo ID, such as a driver’s license, or a nonphoto ID, such as a bank statement.

States that require neither check a voter’s identity a different way, most often by comparing the voter’s signature with one on file, according to the state legislatures conference.

What are the arguments for and against voter IDs?

Those backing voter ID requirements argue they prevent people from casting votes in someone else’s name and say the rules increase public confidence in elections.

Opponents say the type of fraud the rules aim to prevent rarely happens and ID requirements are an unnecessary burden on voters.

What has the Supreme Court said about voter IDs?

The Supreme Court upheld Indiana’s photo ID requirement for voters in 2008.

“In sum, on the basis of the record that has been made in this litigation, we cannot conclude that the statute imposes `excessively burdensome requirements’ on any class of voters,” Justice John Paul Stevens wrote for the 6-3 majority.

Indiana hadn’t offered evidence of fraud, but the challengers hadn’t produced witnesses at the trial who claimed they would be unable to meet the law's requirements.

After he retired, Stevens said in a 2016 interview that the ruling was a “fairly unfortunate decision” that was nonetheless required because he had to stick to the evidence in the record.

What have the courts said about Trump's voter registration requirement?

Trump’s proof-of-citizenship directive for voter registration was immediately challenged in court.

In April, U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington sided with the League of Women Voters Education Fund, the League of United Latin American Citizens, the Democratic National Committee and other challengers.

Kollar-Kotelly blocked Trump’s order from moving forward as the case is being litigated, ruling that the president likely exceeded his authority.

“Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the States − not the President − with the authority to regulate federal elections,” she wrote.

In June, Casper, the federal judge in Massachusetts, ruled on a separate lawsuit brought by 19 states.

Casper said the states showed that the citizenship requirement for registration and Trump’s attempt to prevent states from counting mail ballots received after Election Day are likely to disenfranchise eligible voters.

What does the Constitution say?

The Constitution’s so-called elections clause says that the “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.” The clause also says Congress can “make or alter such Regulations.”

What happens next?

Trump’s executive order is expected to be challenged in court once he signs it.

What's the bigger picture?

Trump has long questioned the U.S. electoral system and continues to falsely claim that his 2020 loss to Democratic President Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud. The president and his Republican allies have also made baseless claims about widespread voting by noncitizens, which is illegal and rarely occurs.

Contributing: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump wants to mandate voter IDs. Can he do that?

Reporting by Maureen Groppe, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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