In March, Trump issued an executive order of dubious legality to mandate prospective voters provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The executive order “calls for the Election Assistance Commission to require people to show government-issued proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote in federal elections, and directs state or local officials to record and verify the information,” along with “requir[ing] states to count ballots by Election Day.” Legal experts have cast doubt on the executive order’s legality, and a federal judge in June blocked most of the key provisions of the order, writing in a decision that “the Constitution does not grant the president any specific powers over elections.” In August, Trump called for voter ID for “every single vote,” claiming, “I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” [The New York Times, 3/25/25, 3/26/25, 6/13/25, 8/31/25]

The Washington Post reported that “pro-Trump activists” are “circulating a 17-page draft executive order … to declare a national emergency that would unlock extraordinary presidential power over voting” and say they are coordinating with the White House. According to the Post, a White House official “said the staff is regularly in communication with a variety of outside advocates who want to share their policy ideas with the president” but would not discuss specifics. The Post said the activists involved include attorney Peter Ticktin and former Infowars staffer Jerome Corsi. Following the Post’s report, Ticktin provided Democracy Docket with a memo making the case for the alleged executive order’s legality, though the outlet quoted a legal expert rebutting its arguments, and then Ticktin “provided a copy of the 17-page order, dated April 12, 2025, to Democracy Docket. It’s titled: ‘Establishing Security, Integrity, and Transparency for United States Elections with Protections Against Foreign Interference.’” [Media Matters, 2/26/26; The Washington Post, 2/26/26; ABC News, 2/26/26; Democracy Docket, 2/26/26, 2/27/26]

In March, Heather Honey, now DHS’ deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, reportedly “suggested that the new administration could declare a ‘national emergency’ and justify dictating new rules to state and local governments” related to voting and elections. The New York Times reported that during a “call with right-wing activists in March,” Honey suggested a national emergency “could be based on an ‘actual investigation’ of the 2020 election if it showed there had been a ‘manipulation’ of the vote.” “Therefore,” she argued, “we have some additional powers that don’t exist right now” and “can take these other steps without Congress and we can mandate that states do things and so on.” [The New York Times, 10/22/25]

Honey is one of “multiple proponents” of Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims who The New York Times reports Trump elevated “into high-level administration jobs.” Prior to Honey's appointment to DHS in August, she was “a leader” in the “right-wing election activist movement that emerged” after Trump “falsely claimed that his 2020 defeat was the result of widespread fraud.” According to the Times, Honey “echo[ed] rhetoric that has infused” that movement during a call in September with state election officials. [The New York Times, 10/22/25]

In an interview after the FBI’s raid of a Fulton County, Georgia, election center, Trump said he wants Republicans to “nationalize the voting.” During an interview with podcast host and former FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino, Trump said, “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least — many, 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.” He also invoked the raid, saying, “We have states that are so crooked, and they’re counting votes — we have states that I won that show I didn’t win. Now you’re going see something in Georgia where they were able to get with a court order, the ballots, you’re going to see some interesting things.” [Media Matters, 2/5/26; NBC News, 2/2/26]

At an event for right-wing website The Gateway Pundit, Peter Ticktin said he “wouldn’t be very surprised” if there’s “an emergency called” before the next election, claiming that “it's necessary.” Ticktin, an attorney with a history of spreading election fraud claims, said at a conference organized by The Gateway Pundit, “I wouldn’t be very surprised if we find out before the next election that there’s kind of, be an emergency called,” with which “we’re going to be able to turn the tide.” Ticktin also said, “I don’t have it on good authority that this is going to be done, but a number of people are urging it because it’s necessary.” [Media Matters, 7/9/19, 6/16/22, 7/15/22; The Gateway Pundit’s Vindicated conference, 8/23/25]

Podcaster Joe Oltmann, who refused to provide evidence in court of his claims that the 2020 election was rigged, said that Trump’s election-related executive orders “are permissible in states of national and foreign emergencies.” Responding to a social media post suggesting Trump’s proposed voter ID executive order violated the Constitution, Oltmann wrote, “Supremacy clause, and state of emergency. EO are permissible in states of national and foreign emergencies.” [Colorado Public Radio, 7/31/25; USA Today, 9/5/24; Twitter/X, 8/31/25]

Conrad Reynolds, who is part of an initiative to get rid of voting machines, said, “We are encouraging the president to declare a national emergency right now on this issue.” According to Little Rock Public Radio, Reynolds “thinks Arkansas voting machines could be flipping votes” and runs an organization focused on “getting rid of voting machines” in favor of paper ballots. He was charged with electioneering over the issue. While appearing on a podcast, Reynolds said: “We have a national emergency. That's what this is. And we are encouraging the president to declare a national emergency right now on this issue.” He added that “if we don’t get this right, I'm telling you the midterms are not going to be good, and we need to fix it right now.” [Little Rock Public Radio, 11/4/24, 10/10/25; Rumble, The State of Freedom, 9/16/25]

During a call on “election integrity” on a Florida GOP official’s podcast, VoterGA’s Garland Favorito said that Trump “can execute his National Emergency Act powers” to supposedly protect elections. CNN reported that Favorito has “a long history of promoting debunked conspiracy theories” and a “penchant for pushing election misinformation.” During the podcast, Favorito said that Trump could “execute his National Emergency Act powers” in order to ensure that election systems “comply” with federal law, adding, “I believe that he’ll do that.” [CNN, 10/9/24; ProPublica, 10/16/24; Rumble, Stern American, 9/18/25]

Former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn during a podcast appearance: “The only way that we’re going to have a fair federal election is if” Trump “declares ... some sort of a national emergency.” Flynn, who urged Trump after the 2020 election to seize voting machines and who Trump has since appointed to the board of visitors for the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, said on a podcast that “there’s all kinds of fraudulent activity and behavior” in elections, meaning that “the only way that we’re going to have a fair federal election is if the president of the United States declares ... some sort of a national emergency and says for federal elections,” there will be “picture ID”, “no mail-in ballots,” and “on election day, we do ... basically a paper count.” [The New York Times, 1/31/22; Reuters, 3/17/25; YouTube, Conversations in Energy with Stuart Turley, 10/14/25]

David Clements, who has spread claims about election fraud, said that Trump should use “plenary authority” to stop “a digital invasion and a digital rebellion taking place.” Lawfare reported in 2024 that Clements had “criss-crossed the country to evangelize about purported election fraud,” and The Washington Post reported in 2022 that he was “traveling the country trying to persuade local leaders to withhold certification of election results.” During an interview on a right-wing YouTube channel, Clements and his wife Erin discussed supposed ways to fix “rigged elections,” with Clements arguing that it’s necessary to “start looking at Title 50, Article 2 power, a national security framework for Trump to really be in a position where he’s not asking. He’s ordering. He’s telling you,” and that “even people like Peter Ticktin … have come to the same conclusion.” Clements added that Trump has to “be able to declare things from a framework of plenary authority, meaning he’s not ... relying on the legislature that’s been captured to come in and codify what he’s saying,” and that he believed Trump was “prepared to do that.” [Lawfare, 10/31/24; The Washington Post, 9/8/22; Media Matters, 6/14/23; YouTube, 10/20/25]

Patrick Byrne, the former Overstock CEO who has been a prominent fundraiser for election denial efforts and played a role in trying to overturn the 2020 election, said in a February 24 LindellTV interview that Trump “just has to declare a national emergency and do it, really simplify the election and do it like it’s a third world country.” Byrne also said that “if he can get some of it done through the SAVE Act that’d be great and then the rest of it he does by executive order.” Byrne — who alongside Sidney Powell and Michael Flynn attended a December 2020 Oval Office meeting where Trump was urged to seize voting machines — also said in the interview that Trump “should say all these machines are off the table and — as by national emergency.” On Telegram, Byrne posted the interview and quoted the call for a national emergency. [CNBC, 12/30/21; The Guardian, 7/20/24; The New York Times, 1/31/22; Media Matters, 1/16/26; Telegram, 2/24/26, 2/24/26]

Podcaster Jovan Pulitzer, whom the Arizona Mirror described as “a favorite of election fraud conspiracy theorists,” said Trump “with the stroke of the pen” can “basically say we’re taking back our elections under critical infrastructure.” While appearing on the podcast Patriot Streetfighter, Pulitzer said that Trump should declare that “all election systems, voter rolls, registrations, databases are now going to be permanently cut off” and people should have to present ID in order to vote. [Arizona Mirror, 4/30/21; Rumble, accessed 2/25/26; Rumble, Patriot Streetfighter, 2/10/26]

Mark Cook, described by Colorado Newsline as one “of the most influential election deniers in Colorado,” said during an interview with podcaster David Nino Rodriguez, “I pray that the Trump administration takes steps necessary to ensure that the citizens can run a totally transparent, unfettered election” with a “national state-of-emergency executive order.” Cook also told Rodriguez that “if the military shows up to ensure that the people can run their own election unfettered, I’m all for that.” [Colorado Newsline, 6/18/24; Rumble, 2/19/26]

Jerome Corsi, who previously worked for conspiracy theory network Infowars, said that a “national security emergency will allow Donald Trump to make sure that the elections in 2026 are secure even if we have to go to extreme measures and get the military involved.” Corsi also has a long history of producing false research, helped popularize the QAnon conspiracy theory, and was instrumental in pushing the lie that former President Barack Obama has a fake birth certificate. [NPR, 3/2/23; Media Matters, 1/8/18, 11/13/18; Rumble, Stern American, 9/18/25]

Jerome Corsi has repeatedly claimed that he and Peter Ticktin have been involved in the drafting of a Trump executive order “to be implemented for the 2026 elections.” During appearances on the podcasts Stern American and Nino’s Corner, Corsi claimed that he and Ticktin had been involved with a “17-page draft of an executive order” that would “declare a national security emergency” and includes “steps the states will be required to take in order to make sure the elections are secure.” Corsi has also claimed that Trump “can use his Article 2 powers as commander in chief and have the military run the elections if he had to.” In October, Corsi claimed to have been “briefed” that the order was “expected to come down the next couple of months and to be implemented for the 2026 elections.” [Rumble, Stern American, 7/14/25, 9/18/25, 10/8/25; Rumble, 9/2/25, 10/22/25, 10/22/25]

Corsi said the executive order would be “based on our research” and would target voter rolls, mandate voter ID, and require proof of citizenship to register to vote. Corsi said the order would “stop using all existing voter rolls, stop using all existing computers that handle those voting rolls, that we go to voter ID and proof of citizenship for new registrations, and that that proof of citizenship demand the ability to make sure someone is a citizen before they be allowed to vote.” [Rumble, Stern American, 7/14/25, 7/30/25]

Ticktin has also acknowledged Corsi’s involvement in targeting voter rolls. Ticktin, in a call on “election integrity” on the Stern American podcast, said of proving that the “voter rolls have been corrupted”: “We’ve got certain people. There’s Jerome Corsi, who’s been very involved in this. We’ve got Andrew Paquette, who really was the one that was on the forefront of all of this.” [Rumble, Stern American, 9/18/25]

Juan O. Savin has claimed that his “team … wrote up” a proposed executive order for Trump on elections and that Trump will adopt most of it. According to Savin, Trump is “going to use … 80, 85, 90%” of the proposed “17-page document” — the same number of pages as the order Corsi claimed to have been involved with proposing for Trump — that they “provided to the president last spring,” and that in “the first paragraph and a half of that executive order” it says “you must declare a national election emergency.” Savin also said that the proposed order would in effect let Trump “become king.” [Rumble, 2/3/26; Patriot Party News, ON TAP with PPN, 2/11/26]

In another appearance, Savin said that a “coalition” of “some of the best legal expert minds, election expert minds on the planet” were involved in drafting multiple versions of an executive order. According to Savin, “they worked diligently for a couple of months, came up with the proposed version,” which “just so happened to be 17 pages when we were done.” Later in the interview, Savin claimed that “the president has this executive order proposal, and it’s been on his desk since late March. It came in from a couple different directions.” [YouTube, Nino’s Corner, 2/27/26, 2/27/26]