Daniel Wolfram
The evasive answer from Trump is the latest instance in which Trump is threatething with taking over the upcoming election
American voting systems have relied on the same pillars since the creation of the Constitution back in 1787.
The Constitution has been ratified many times, but now it is in danger of being set aside, and the usual process of the election in November is in a state of flux.
The President is at the center of it all because he wants to push a law through that makes it harder for Americans to vote.
A bold proposal
Host Wayne Allyn Root pitched a controversial idea on his right-wing conservative television program Real America’s Voice. His guest was President Donald Trump. During the interview, Root encouraged Trump to bypass lawmakers because the Senate has not been successful in passing the SAVE America Act, a law that would change voter registration and voting rules.
According to the host, Trump could just declare a national emergency before the election to circumvent the failed proposal.
“If they never get the SAVE America Act done, you have the right to declare a national security emergency for elections,” Root said. He added that “if you declare a national security emergency as the President of the United States, they can’t challenge it. It can only be overturned by a two-thirds vote by both houses of Congress. So if you do this in the next month, we will get photo ID, proof of citizenship (for voter registration) and a limit to mail-in ballots.”
Trump chose not to reject the proposal. Instead, he gave a coy answer that left the option open.
“Let me just say that stranger things have happened, OK?” Trump said. “I’ll leave it at that.”
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Growing pressure from Trump
The coy answer from Trump is seen by critics as proof that the Republicans want more influence over upcoming elections, especially in Democratic states. They point to how the Trump administration is trying different ways to reshape how votes are cast.
As reported here, the administration is threatening to ban the US Postal Service from delivering mail ballots for states that refuse to hand over their voter lists to the federal government. This is a request that even states with a Republican majority have rejected because of privacy concerns.
Federal courts have blocked the executive order.
High legal hurdles
Former White House counsel Ty Cobb suggested Trump’s recent remarks regarding voting served as a predicate for declaring an emergency.
Still, pulling off such a move would face huge obstacles in court.
As CNN reported, the US Constitution gives election authority to states, not the president. Experts remain doubtful judges would permit a federal takeover.
