Trump Action Archive

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• DOJ sues California over alleged noncitizen voters — The Department of Justice sued the state of California, alleging that 20,000 noncitizens remain on the state's voter rolls and demanding the state be blocked from tabulating certain ballots the DOJ claimed might belong to noncitizens. California state officials rejected the federal claims, stating the DOJ had wrongly flagged U.S. citizens and people whose voter registrations had already been cancelled as potential ineligible voters. The 20,000 alleged noncitizens represent a tiny fraction of California's 23 million registered voters.

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• DHS arrests Omar Muñoz in high-profile operation for alleged unlawful voter registration — Department of Homeland Security agents arrested Omar Muñoz, a 72-year-old lawful permanent resident, at his Commerce, California home in an early morning operation on October 21, 2026. Muñoz was one of 28 green card holders charged in California with allegedly registering to vote unlawfully. The arrest was conducted with significant law enforcement presence, including a helicopter, and was subsequently publicized by the Department of Justice in a promotional video. Muñoz, who is frail from recent surgeries, was handcuffed and shackled despite his physical condition. The operation occurred two weeks before midterm elections.

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• DHS whistleblower alleges voter impersonation by federal agents — A Department of Homeland Security whistleblower alleged that DHS, as part of its "Unlawful Voter Initiative," directed federal agents to impersonate voters in violation of state laws, using Social Security numbers and other information to look up voter history on state websites. The allegation prompted US Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff to request an investigation by California's attorney general, citing concerns about how DHS obtained and used voter data and whether it complied with law.

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• DHS redirects immigration officers to examine voter registration data for noncitizens — The Department of Homeland Security redirected hundreds of USCIS fraud and national security officers from immigration case work to examine voter information for possible noncitizen registrations. DHS claimed that nearly 250,000 noncitizens may be registered across four states, but the agency has not publicly substantiated the figure. State election officials examining the data have questioned its reliability. Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Republican, reported that federal officials acknowledged they lacked high confidence that thousands of Pennsylvania names DHS identified actually represented improperly registered noncitizens.

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• USPS whistleblower reports flawed ballot mail system designed to disrupt mail-in voting — Senator Richard Blumenthal released a whistleblower complaint alleging that the U.S. Postal Service has developed a new, untested IT system for handling federal election ballot mail that is "secretive, rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed." The whistleblower warns that a single barcode scanning failure in a batch of 10,000 ballots will reject the entire batch, potentially preventing millions of voters from receiving mail-in ballots. The system was developed despite a federal court injunction ordering work to stop. The whistleblower questions whether "catastrophic failure would be a feature rather than a bug."
• Federal whistleblower disclosed flaws in USPS mail-voting verification system — An anonymous federal worker filed a whistleblower disclosure with Senator Blumenthal warning that the U.S. Postal Service's new system to regulate mail voting for the midterms has been "rushed, chaotic, and fundamentally flawed." The USPS issued the rule last week, and it is currently blocked by federal court. The whistleblower alleges workers were forced to create the system in weeks when it should have taken 9 months, and that work continued on implementation even after being ordered to stop. The disclosure warns the Trump administration "has hidden the high likelihood that the new ballot mail verification processes will result in major disruptions in mail ballots ever getting delivered to voters." Specific concerns include rejection of entire batches of thousands of ballots when a problem with one voter is found, and no planning for inevitable errors. The whistleblower called one portion of internal software "garbage."
• USPS whistleblower reports catastrophic flaws in new ballot-handling system — A whistleblower disclosed to Congress that the new USPS system for handling federal election ballot mail contains "potentially catastrophic problems." The system rejects entire batches of ballots if even a single barcode fails to scan during verification, preventing thousands of ballots from reaching voters. The disclosure was made public on September 2, four days before Massachusetts began sending mail-in ballots.
• Senator Blumenthal demands USPS Postmaster General cease ballot mail project and provide records — Senator Richard Blumenthal, top-ranking Democrat on the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, issued formal demands to Postmaster General David Steiner to abandon the ballot mail IT project, cease work ordered halted by federal court, and provide by September 8 all records related to the project, including names and dates of personnel involved. Blumenthal characterized the system as designed to "disenfranchise millions of Americans," noting that one-third of all Americans cast ballots by mail.

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• Trump reposted poll claiming support for voter suppression legislation — At 6:07 PM, Trump reposted what purported to be a poll from right-wing loyalist Senator Mike Lee (R-UT) claiming that 97.2% of supporters want the Senate to take up the voter suppression SAVE America Act when it returns to session the following week, while only 2.8% want the Senate to address "Anything else." The repost continued Trump's calls for the Senate to pass restrictive voting legislation.

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• California appeals court rules Huntington Beach photo ID requirement unlawful and preempted by state law — In November 2025, a California appeals court ruled that Huntington Beach's photo ID voting requirement was unlawful and preempted by state law. The court sided with California's argument that voting rights and election rules are matters of statewide concern and that local governments cannot impose voting restrictions that conflict with state law. The California Supreme Court later declined to hear the city's appeal, leaving the ruling in place.
• Cochise County, Arizona Republican supervisors attempted full hand count audit of early ballots in 2022 — In 2022, Cochise County, Arizona Republican supervisors attempted to launch a full hand count audit of early ballots, despite warnings from state and county officials. A judge blocked the plan, and an Arizona appeals court later affirmed that the county could not conduct a full hand count of all early ballots. After losing the hand count fight, county supervisors also delayed certification of the 2022 election results before complying with a court order.
• U.S. Department of Justice sued Thornapple, Wisconsin over removal of accessible voting machines — The U.S. Department of Justice, under President Joe Biden, sued Thornapple, Wisconsin after the town stopped using accessible voting machines. The DOJ argued that the move violated the Help America Vote Act, a federal law requiring polling places to give voters with disabilities the same opportunity to vote privately and independently as other voters. The town eventually agreed to bring accessible machines back.
• Huntington Beach, California passed local photo ID voting requirement for municipal elections in 2024 — In 2024, Huntington Beach voters approved Measure 1, a local charter amendment that would have required voters to show photo ID at the polls for municipal elections beginning in 2026. The measure became a test case for whether a charter city could impose voting restrictions that state law does not permit. California argued that voting rights and election rules are matters of statewide concern and that local governments cannot create conflicting rules.
• Luzerne County, Pennsylvania county manager removed all ballot drop boxes ahead of 2024 election — In 2024, the Luzerne County manager moved to remove all ballot drop boxes ahead of the election, citing security concerns. The decision came after the county board of elections had already approved using the drop boxes. Voting rights groups sued, arguing that the manager lacked authority to override the board's decision. The drop boxes were later restored following legal action.
• North Carolina Republican-controlled county election boards advance plans to cut early voting locations — Ahead of the 2026 primary, Republican-controlled county election boards in North Carolina advanced plans to cut early voting locations, remove campus polling places, and eliminate Sunday voting in several counties. In Guilford County, local Republicans targeted early voting sites at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and North Carolina A&T State University, the nation's largest historically Black university. In Jackson County, Republican board members moved to remove a longstanding early voting site at Western Carolina University. The Republican-controlled state election board later rejected campus voting sites in those counties and cut Sunday voting in others.
• Nye County, Nevada county officials moved to count ballots by hand after fraud claims — Nye County, Nevada officials moved to count ballots by hand after false claims about widespread fraud fueled distrust of voting machines. The Nevada Supreme Court limited parts of the plan before the 2022 midterms, the secretary of state's office halted the count after a legal challenge, and the county ultimately used machines as its primary vote-counting method while running a parallel hand count.
• Otero County, New Mexico Republican commissioners refused to certify 2022 primary results — In Otero County, New Mexico, Republican commissioners refused to certify 2022 primary election results, claiming they did not trust the county's vote tabulators despite offering no evidence of problems. The commission also voted to discontinue secured drop boxes and state voting machines, even after being told it lacked legal authority to do so.
• Wausau, Wisconsin mayor removed city's ballot drop box in September 2024 — In September 2024, Wausau Mayor Doug Diny removed the city's only ballot drop box from outside City Hall, posing for photos in a hard hat and work gloves as he removed it. The box was later returned, and the city's ethics board found that Diny violated Wausau's ethics policy. Prosecutors declined to charge him criminally.

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• California sheriff seizes 650,000+ ballots from 2025 election amid disputed fraud claims — Sheriff Chad Bianco of Riverside County, a Republican candidate for California governor, seized over 650,000 ballots from the 2025 election via search warrant, claiming to investigate allegations of unlawful ballot casting related to Proposition 50. State election officials and California Attorney General Rob Bonta dismissed the fraud allegations, noting only a 103-vote discrepancy between machine and submitted counts. Bonta called the seizure unprecedented and designed to sow election distrust. A superior court judge appointed a special master to recount the ballots.
• Riverside County Sheriff seized 650,000 ballots from November election — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco, a leading Republican candidate for governor, seized more than 650,000 ballots from the November election and is investigating whether they were fraudulently counted. Bianco stated: "This investigation is simple: Physically count the ballots and compare that result with the total votes recorded." California Attorney General Rob Bonta responded: "This is unprecedented in both scope and scale based on no facts or evidence. There is no indication, anywhere in the US, of widespread voter fraud. Counts, recounts, hand counts, audits, and court cases all support this."
• Riverside County Sheriff seized over 650,000 ballots citing unsubstantiated ballot discrepancy claims — Riverside County Sheriff Chad Bianco seized over 650,000 ballots in March 2026, citing claims by right-wing activists of a 45,896-ballot discrepancy in the county's special election. County Registrar Art Tinoco produced records showing only a 103-vote discrepancy attributable to human error. California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed a lawsuit to halt Bianco's investigation. Bianco, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, has continued to push the probe despite contradictory official records.

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• Steve Bannon stated ICE will surround polls in November — Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon stated on his podcast that "we're going to have ICE surround the polls come November" and added "we're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again." The statement preceded the White House press secretary's refusal to rule out ICE presence at voting sites.
• Steve Bannon calls for ICE presence at polling sites during midterm elections — Steve Bannon, former White House strategist and influential far-right podcast host, publicly stated on his War Room show that immigration agents should "surround the polls" during November's midterm elections. The statement repeats false claims about undocumented voter participation. Election officials nationwide have expressed concern about potential Trump administration interference in voting, particularly ICE presence at polling places, which can intimidate voters and suppress turnout. Courts have already blocked portions of Trump's citizenship-requirement executive order.
• Steve Bannon announces ICE will surround polls in November — Trump ally Steve Bannon stated on his podcast that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will surround polling places in November, framing it as prevention of election theft. Bannon declared "we will never again allow an election to be stolen," echoing rhetoric used to justify the 1898 Wilmington coup and signaling intent to use federal law enforcement to intimidate voters.
• Steve Bannon calls for ICE to surround polling places in November — On his podcast on February 4, 2026, Steve Bannon openly stated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) should surround polling places in November to prevent what he falsely characterizes as a stolen election. This statement constitutes a direct threat to free and fair elections and voter access. Bannon's statement has received minimal media coverage despite its severity and Trump's continued public association with Bannon.
• White House press secretary declined to rule out ICE presence at polling locations — During a White House briefing, press secretary Karoline Leavitt said she could not guarantee that ICE would not be present at voting sites during the November midterm elections, though she claimed Trump has no "formal plans" to deploy federal immigration agents to polling locations. Leavitt dismissed the question as "very silly," "hypothetical," and "disingenuous." The statement followed comments from former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon, who said on his podcast that "we're going to have ICE surround the polls come November" and "we're not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again."

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• Trump Justice Department building largest voting database — The New York Times reported that Trump's Justice Department is quietly building the largest national voting database in the agency's history, which includes data from more than 30 states. Experts say efforts to collect information about individual voters, including their names and addresses, may be against the law, and have raised concerns about the data being used to revive debunked claims about the 2020 presidential election being stolen or to discredit future elections.

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• Trump signs executive order requiring documentary proof of citizenship for federal voter registration — President Trump signed an executive order on March 25 requiring documentary proof of citizenship to be added to federal voter registration forms. States that do not comply face federal funding cuts. White House staff secretary Will Scharf characterized the order as "the farthest-reaching executive action taken" in the country's history. Multiple states have announced they will challenge the order as an unconstitutional federal overreach. The order targets the same nonexistent problem of noncitizen voting that the Save Act addresses.
• Trump executive order directs EAC to amend federal voter registration form — President Trump's March 25 executive order "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections" instructs the Election Assistance Commission to amend the federal voter registration form to require proof of citizenship documentation, such as a passport. According to the Brennan Center for Justice, 21.3 million eligible Americans lack readily available proof of citizenship, meaning the requirement could disenfranchise millions of voters despite noncitizen voting being extremely rare.
• Trump executive order threatens to withhold federal election funding from states — Trump's March 25 executive order threatens to withhold federal election funding from states that count mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if those ballots were mailed before Election Day. Over a dozen states allow this practice. The order also instructs the Secretary of Defense to add proof-of-citizenship requirements to military and overseas voter registration forms and directs the EAC to decertify all previously certified voting machines.
• White House issued fact sheet on executive order directing election integrity measures — The White House published a fact sheet on March 25, 2025, describing an executive order signed by President Trump that day. The order directs federal agencies to require documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration, mandates state access to federal databases for citizenship verification, prioritizes prosecution of non-citizen voting, conditions federal election funding on state compliance with citizenship verification and paper ballot requirements, and directs the Attorney General to enforce voter-list maintenance and prevent non-citizens from election administration roles.
• White House signed Executive Order 14248 on election integrity requirements — The White House signed Executive Order 14248 on March 25, 2025, directing federal agencies to enforce citizenship verification in voter registration, require paper ballots with voter-verifiable records, enforce Election Day ballot receipt deadlines, prevent non-citizen voting, coordinate with states on voter list maintenance, prosecute election crimes, and secure voting systems. The order mandates the Election Assistance Commission amend voting system guidelines within 180 days and condition federal funding on state compliance with citizenship documentation and ballot receipt requirements.
• Trump signed Executive Order 14248 requiring documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration, enforcing Election Day ballot receipt deadlines, and directing federal agencies to verify voter eligibility and prosecute election crimes. — President Trump signed Executive Order 14248 on March 25, 2025, establishing federal election-integrity policies. The order mandates documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration; requires states to reject ballots received after Election Day; directs DHS, DOJ, and SSA to share citizenship and eligibility databases with election officials; authorizes DOJ to withhold federal funds from non-compliant states; requires voting systems to produce voter-verifiable paper records; and directs cessation of prior administration voting-access initiatives. The order invokes federal statutes governing election administration and citizenship verification.
• Trump signed executive order on election integrity requiring citizenship documentation and voter list maintenance — President Donald Trump issued an executive order on March 25, 2025, titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections." The order directs federal agencies to enforce existing election laws, including requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration, mandating states maintain accurate voter rolls, restricting mail-in ballot counting to Election Day, and requiring paper ballots with voter-verifiable records. It tasks the Election Assistance Commission, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, and Social Security Administration with implementing citizenship verification, voter list audits, and prosecution of election crimes.
• Trump signed executive order on election laws — Trump signed an executive order making changes to election laws, including requiring proof of US citizenship on voter registration forms. States that don't comply with the directive could lose federal funding. The order also directs the attorney general to take action against states that count ballots received after election day in federal elections. The order also gives DOGE access to state voter lists, which could result in voter purges.
• Trump signs executive order requiring proof of citizenship for voter registration — Donald Trump signed a far-reaching executive order on March 26, 2025, that fundamentally alters U.S. voter registration processes by requiring documentary proof of citizenship (such as a passport) to vote in federal elections. The order amends the federal voter registration form, empowers federal agencies to cut funding to non-compliant states, instructs the DOJ to prosecute alleged "election crimes," and seeks to block states from accepting mail-in ballots after election day. Legal experts and voting rights advocates warn the order could disenfranchise tens of millions of eligible voters and faces constitutional challenges.
• Trump signed executive order on voter citizenship requirements — President Trump signed an executive order that would, if enforceable, dramatically change U.S. elections and restrict voting rights for tens of millions of Americans by imposing new citizenship verification requirements. Legal analyst Marc Elias of Democracy Docket characterized the order as "confused, rhetorical and—in places—nonsensical. It asserts facts that are not true and claims authority he does not possess. It is not meant to be taken seriously or literally. Rather, it is the empty threat of a weak man desperate to appear strong."
• Trump issues executive order on election integrity titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections" — President Trump issued an executive order titled "Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections" that asserts presidential powers over election administration, including restricting which ballots states can count and granting DOGE unspecified authority to review state voter rolls. The order lacks constitutional or statutory basis, as election regulation authority rests with state legislatures and Congress, not the president. Election law advocates announced plans to challenge the order in court.
• Trump issues executive order on voting rules and mail ballot administration — President Donald Trump issued an executive order on voting on Tuesday, March 26, 2025, that directs states to change rules for accepting mail ballots and empowers the Department of Government Efficiency to subpoena state records to investigate voter fraud claims. The order represents a direct federal intervention in state election administration that exceeds the scope of Biden's 2021 voter registration executive order, which Republicans had challenged as unconstitutional federal overreach.
• Trump signed an executive order affecting U.S. elections — President Trump signed an executive order that aims to change U.S. elections by requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. This order has been criticized as confusing and nonsensical, with experts suggesting it is not meant to be taken seriously. The order could potentially disenfranchise millions of Americans and raises concerns about voter access and election integrity.

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• Trump falsely claims election fraud at CPAC — At the Conservative Political Action Conference, President Donald Trump falsely claimed that he received "much more" than 77 million votes in the 2024 presidential election and accused Democrats of cheating. This statement perpetuates misinformation about the integrity of the electoral process and undermines public trust in democratic institutions.