The Trump administration’s growing efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of US elections have raised concerns among voting experts and election officials, while simultaneously encouraging election deniers who hope the government could take extraordinary action to influence the November results, The Guardian reported.
According to the report, some voting experts are increasingly worried that President Donald Trump and his allies could seek to use a national emergency declaration as a way to challenge or delegitimize the outcome of the November elections.
However, legal experts cited by the news outlet said such a declaration would not override constitutional limits on presidential authority over election administration.
The US Constitution gives states a central role in administering elections, while Congress also has significant authority over federal election rules. That creates legal and constitutional barriers to any unilateral presidential effort to take control of election administration.
No US president has previously attempted to invoke emergency powers to take control of the country’s voting system.
Concerns over attempts to ‘nationalize’ elections
Aria Branch, a partner at the Elias Law Group who led litigation that blocked earlier Trump executive orders concerning election administration, said the administration appeared to be preparing the ground for a possible emergency declaration.
“The administration is trying to lay the groundwork to declare some sort of emergency to nationalize elections,” Branch said, according to the news outlet.
She added that she believed Trump was “looking for any opportunity” to pursue such a move.
The concerns come after a series of actions by the Trump administration that voting rights groups and election experts have viewed as attempts to increase federal influence over elections, according to the news report.
Still, the possibility has alarmed election advocates, particularly given Trump’s repeated claims about election integrity and his history of challenging election results.
‘Prepared for everything’
Santiago Mayer, president of Voters of Tomorrow, a Gen Z-led voter advocacy organization, said groups concerned about the integrity of elections were preparing for a range of possible scenarios.
“We need to be prepared for everything,” Mayer said, according to the media outlet.
Trump allies amplify noncitizen voting claims
President Donald Trump and his allies have seized on recent claims about noncitizens appearing on US voter rolls, using the disclosures to intensify allegations of widespread voting by noncitizens
The issue gained renewed attention after New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced that about 6,600 noncitizens had been registered to vote because of a software error. Fewer than 400 of those individuals ultimately voted, but the disclosure was quickly used by Trump and his allies to promote broader claims about the presence of noncitizens on voter rolls.
The development has added fuel to a wider Republican push for tighter federal oversight of elections and stricter voting requirements.
What is the Save America Act?
Against this backdrop, Republicans are pushing the Save America Act, a sweeping election bill that would impose new federal requirements on voter registration and voting.
One of its most significant provisions would require states to submit their voter rolls for federal inspection. The legislation would also give the Department of Homeland Security a greater role in determining whether individuals are eligible to remain registered.
Under the proposal, DHS could effectively seek to remove people it determines are ineligible to vote, significantly increasing federal involvement in what has traditionally been an area largely administered by states and local governments.
The legislation would also require people registering to vote to provide documentary proof of US citizenship.
The bill would introduce additional restrictions on how Americans vote.
It would sharply limit mail-in voting, a method Trump has repeatedly criticized. The issue has drawn particular attention because Trump has reportedly used mail voting himself, including as recently as this week’s Florida Republican primary.
The legislation would also establish a narrower list of acceptable photo identification documents for voters casting ballots.
