Trump considers possible national emergency to push voter ID and citizenship rules
Trump has been pushing lawmakers to approve the SAVE America Act, which would restrict mail-in voting
US President Donald Trump has not ruled out declaring a national security emergency in an effort to introduce new voting restrictions that have stalled in the Senate.
Trump has been pushing lawmakers to approve the SAVE America Act, which would restrict mail-in voting and require proof of citizenship and photo identification to vote.
The legislation is one of Trump's top priorities but failed to pass before senators left Washington for their August recess.
During an interview with Real America’s Voice on August 10, host Wayne Allyn Root suggested Trump could bypass the Senate by declaring a national security emergency and using executive powers.
“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK? I’ll leave it at that,” Trump responded.
Trump has previously sought greater federal control over elections, which are primarily administered by state and local governments.
In March, he signed an executive order seeking changes to voter rolls and mail-in ballots as Democrat-led states challenged the measure, and a federal judge blocked it in June.
The Trump administration has since asked the US Supreme Court to allow two provisions of the order to take effect.
Trump argues tighter voting rules are needed to protect US elections while continuing to make unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud.
Democrats and voting rights groups argue the SAVE America Act could prevent millions of eligible Americans from voting.
