Ensuring Citizenship Verification and Integrity in Federal Elections

What it does

• •Directs the Department of Homeland Security to compile and transmit to state election officials a list of confirmed U.S. citizens age 18+ residing in each state, derived from federal citizenship records, Social Security Administration data, and other federal databases, updated at least 60 days before federal elections.
• •Instructs the U.S. Postal Service to initiate a rulemaking within 60 days requiring mail-in and absentee ballots to use Official Election Mail envelopes with unique barcodes or identifiers, and prohibits USPS from transmitting ballots for individuals not enrolled on a state-specific Mail-In and Absentee Participation List.
• •Directs the Attorney General to prioritize investigation and prosecution of state/local election officials and others involved in issuing federal ballots to ineligible individuals under specified federal criminal statutes.

Why it matters

• •The order asserts that only U.S. citizens may vote in federal elections, and proposes new mechanisms using federal citizenship databases and unique ballot identifiers to enforce voter eligibility requirements.
• •The order frames election integrity and public confidence in election outcomes as a federal duty under the Constitution, and proposes that unique barcode identifiers on ballot envelopes provide an auditable mechanism to verify eligibility without unduly burdening eligible voters.

Who is affected

• •State election officials, who will receive federal citizenship lists and must coordinate with USPS on mail-in ballot procedures.
• •Individuals applying for mail-in or absentee ballots, who must be enrolled on state-specific participation lists maintained by USPS.
• •State and local election officials and those involved in ballot printing, production, shipment, or distribution, who face potential federal investigation and prosecution.

What happens next

The Postmaster General must initiate a notice of proposed rulemaking on USPS ballot envelope standards within 60 days, with a final rule due no later than 120 days from the order date; the Department of Homeland Security must coordinate with the Social Security Administration to compile and transmit state citizenship lists at least 60 days before each federal election.