Overview
- On Tuesday, President Trump declined to rule out declaring a national security emergency to impose provisions like photo ID and proof of citizenship if the SAVE America Act fails to pass.
- Real America’s Voice host Wayne Allyn Root urged the president to use an emergency declaration and cited INS v. Chadha as a legal shield, a claim legal scholars say misunderstands the case and the law.
- The SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register and limit universal mail ballots, has stalled in the Senate and its failure is the immediate reason allies are urging executive alternatives.
- The administration has already tried to change voter-roll and mail-voting rules by executive action and federal judges, including Judge Indira Talwani, have issued orders blocking parts of those efforts.
- Voting rights groups, Democrats and many legal experts warn a unilateral emergency move would trigger immediate lawsuits, create uneven state implementation, and risk disenfranchising voters ahead of November.