President Trump renews push for voter ID ahead of 2026 midterms

US President Donald Trump has pledged to issue an executive order making voter identification mandatory for every ballot cast in future elections, Reuters reported. 

In a post on Truth Social, he wrote: “Voter ID must be part of every single vote. NO EXCEPTIONS! I will be doing an executive order to that end!!!” Trump further stated that mail-in ballots would only be permitted for those who are severely ill and for members of the armed forces serving abroad.

The announcement reflects Trump’s long-running criticism of the American electoral system. Since losing the 2020 presidential race to Joe Biden, he has repeatedly and falsely claimed that widespread voter fraud cost him victory. 

His Republican allies have also promoted unverified allegations of non-citizens voting illegally, despite little evidence and studies showing such cases are extremely rare.

Trump has also argued for replacing electronic voting machines with paper ballots and hand counts. Election officials, however, warn that manual counting is far more costly, labour-intensive, and less accurate than machine-based systems.

Earlier in August, Trump promised to push for similar measures — including ending the use of voting machines and limiting mail-in ballots — ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. 

However, constitutional experts note that federal elections are run by individual states, raising doubts about whether a presidential executive order could override state laws.

The 2026 midterms, scheduled for 3 November, will serve as the first nationwide referendum on Trump’s policies since his return to office in January. Democrats are expected to challenge any such executive action.