Trump wants a list of every citizen. Election officials will get it first before Americans can check if it’s accurate

Trump wants a list of every citizen. Election officials will get it first before Americans can check if it’s accurate Critics fear the administration could disenfranchise millions of voters with the president’s unprecedented elections takeover - Bookmark - CommentsGo to comments Donald Trump’s administration is compiling a state-by-state citizenship list following the president’s sweeping executive order to identify eligible voters and restrict the use of mail-in ballots. A memo signed by Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin earlier this month and released in court filings Thursday outlines how the administration plans to work with federal agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service, on creating and maintaining a national list of eligible voters, a project that has alarmed voting rights advocates and civil rights groups. The government’s data would first end up in the hands of state election officials before citizens can check to see if their information is accurate, which could bump Americans from state voter rolls, without recourse, before high-stakes elections that will determine the balance of power in Congress — and the future of Trump’s presidency. The government “does not believe it is feasible” to create a public-facing portal by the end of the month, when the administration will start sharing citizenship data with officials who run the nation’s elections. The memo follows Trump’s March executive order directing Homeland Security to create a “state citizenship list” based on citizenship and naturalization records, Social Security records and data from other federal agencies. The Postal Service also is blocked from sending mail-in or absentee ballots to people whose names do not appear on that list, and the Department of Justice is directed to prosecute state election officials who use their own voter rolls when sending out ballots. According to the latest DHS memo unveiled in court documents, Homeland Security is “on track” to finish building a “technological method” allowing state election officials to access lists of U.S. citizens by June 30. Citizens won’t be able to access that information or “submit corrections” until later this year, the memo states. U.S. Customs and Immigration Services is also “exploring” how to coordinate with the Postal Service on mail-in ballots “lists,” suggesting that mail-in voting data is tied to the in-progress list of American citizens. “No determination has yet been rendered as to the feasibility, desirability, or legality of such an approach,” according to the memo. In a separate notice in court filings, the Trump administration said the Postal Service is in the process of creating a national system to track all mail-in ballots, which critics called a “blatant attempt” for the administration to illegally take over midterm elections. “The rule is driven by years of debunked conspiracy theories rather than evidence of any real weakness in our election system,” according to Michael McNulty, policy director at Issue One and a former senior elections advisor at U.S. Agency for International Development. “It would fundamentally shift the Postal Service from being a neutral mail carrier to being a federal gatekeeper in the voting process,” he said. “That would reduce states’ ability to administer elections freely and fairly, saddle election officials with unfunded mandates, and meddle with a tried-and-true system that tens of millions of Americans rely on every election.” Civil rights advocates, voting rights groups and Democratic officials are suing to block Trump’s executive order, warning it represents an unconstitutional attempt to rewrite election rules that could disenfranchise millions of eligible voters before midterms. Federal judges have declined to block the order so far, finding that it’s premature to block the creation of national citizenship lists that haven’t been implemented yet. “Mail voting helps millions of Americans participate in our democracy, including seniors, voters with disabilities, military families, students, caregivers, and working people,” according to Marcia Johnson, chief of activation and justice for the League of Women Voters, among the parties suing to block Trump’s order. “No president has the authority to unilaterally rewrite election rules or dictate how states administer their elections,” she said following a hearing in the case last week. In 2025, Trump signed an executive order that tried to assert unprecedented presidential control over American elections, including requiring states to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security and cutting off federal funds to states that allow mail-in ballots received after Election Day, even if they were postmarked earlier. The order also required proof of citizenship from voters registering to vote with a national voter registration form. Federal judges have largely blocked that order from taking effect, but Trump is simultaneously reviving a push for legislation in Congress that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other changes. Trump and his allies continue to baselessly insist that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him, including amplifying false claims about safeguards in place to prevent ballots cast by noncitizens. A false claim that millions of noncitizens are voting in federal elections is fueling the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, or SAVE America Act. The measure has been a top legislative priority for the president, who is calling on Republican senators to blow up the filibuster and stuff the legislation into other bills to get it passed. Noncitizen voting is already illegal and exceedingly rare, and there is no evidence that widespread election fraud has changed election outcomes. Critics fear the president is setting the stage for challenging election results by building a spurious body of evidence to undermine the outcomes before voting even starts. The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security. Join our commenting forum Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments [Image text:] G9.237ATE.037 INITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE TE STATES POSTALS