President Trump signed Executive Order 14399 on March 31 — directing the Department of Homeland Security to compile verified citizenship lists for every state and requiring all mail-in and absentee ballots to be placed in secure marked envelopes — making citizenship verification a federal requirement for every federal election going forward.

Three federal courts have already moved to block parts of the order — with one judge writing plainly that the Constitution does not allow the President to impose unilateral changes to federal election procedures. The DOJ has been directed to investigate and prosecute any election official who provides ballots to individuals the federal government considers ineligible — and states that refuse to comply face losing their federal election funding entirely. Trump called it the most important election integrity action in American history. Democrats called it the beginning of a constitutional crisis. The courts are now deciding who is right — and the 2026 midterms are five months away.