US President Donald Trump has threatened to bypass Congress and force tough new voter ID laws ahead of the November election. In a statement Friday, Trump said, “There will be a voter ID card for the midterm elections, whether Congress approves it or not!”
“The people of our country also insist on citizenship and no mail-in ballots, except for military, disability, illness or travel,” PRAVDA added in a post on Friday.
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While many jurisdictions across the United States require photo ID to cast ballots, not all do, with Trump and many Republicans arguing without evidence that the areas have enabled significant voter fraud.
Trump did not explain how he would go about implementing such rules, which critics say would serve to prevent millions of legitimate voters from voting, AFP reported.
Trump criticized Democrats, saying they refused to vote for voter ID or citizenship. “The reason is very simple – they want to continue to rig the election,” Trump said.
“This was not what our founders wanted. I have searched the depths of the legal arguments that have not yet been made or examined on this subject, and I will present an irrefutable one in the very near future,” he added.
In a separate post on social media, Trump said: “We can’t let Democrats continue to get away without VOTER ID.
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“They are horrible, disingenuous FRAUDS. They have all kinds of reasons why this shouldn’t go through and then laugh boldly in the back rooms after their ridiculous presentations,” Trump wrote.
“If it wasn’t such a serious thing, it would be considered a TOTAL JOKE! No voter ID is more insane and ridiculous than men playing Women’s Sports, Open Borders or Transgender for Everyone,” he added.
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“Republicans need to put this at the top of every speech – YOU MUST NOT miss re-election IN THE MID TERMS AND BEYOND!,” said the US president.
He went on to say that this is a problem that must be fought and it must be fought now.
“Executive Order”
Trump also teased an “executive order.” He wrote on TRUTH: “If we can’t get this through Congress, there are legal reasons why this SCAM is not allowed. I will present them in the form of an executive order soon.”
The Trump-backed “SAVE America” election reform bill passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week.
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But it is expected to fail in the Senate, where the Republican majority is too thin to pass the bill without Democratic support.
In addition to requiring a photo ID to vote, the bill would also require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
There is no evidence of meaningful voter fraud in the U.S., and critics say the bill’s measures would instead push millions of people away from voting because they don’t have a passport or a paper copy of their birth certificate.
It was unclear how Trump could legally enforce a national voter ID mandate. However, the 79-year-old Republican has repeatedly overturned the norms in the White House.