Overview
- A 17-page draft executive order circulating among pro-Trump attorneys and activists alleges Chinese interference in 2020 as the basis to declare a national emergency and impose federal controls over voting.
- According to sources, the draft would mandate voter ID, ban mail-in ballots, require hand counts, and curb the use of voting machines ahead of the midterms.
- ABC News reports that President Trump has reviewed versions of the draft, while the White House declines to confirm specific plans and no order has been issued.
- A 2021 U.S. intelligence assessment found China considered but did not deploy efforts to alter the 2020 outcome, and found no evidence any foreign actor changed vote tallies.
- Legal scholars and voting-rights groups warn such an order would be unconstitutional under the Elections Clause and promise rapid litigation, as MAGA figures including Peter Ticktin, Michael Flynn, Mike Lindell, Patrick Byrne, and Steve Bannon promote the idea.