A 17-page draft order dated April 12, 2025, proposes nationwide election changes for the 2026 midterms, including hand-marked paper ballots and a new voter registration process, while invoking presidential emergency powers.
Under the plan, ballots would be counted by hand in public, and voters would need to prove their identity and U.S. citizenship. The proposal would also narrow absentee-voting eligibility. Florida attorney Peter Ticktin provided a version to Democracy Docket, which published the document.
CNN reported July 6, 2026, that Ticktin urged Trump to declare a national emergency before the midterms. He argued that foreign actors could interfere through electronic voting systems and alleged Democrats might manipulate votes to regain control of Congress. His claim about possible foreign interference in 2026 remains unverified. Ticktin also told CNN that he and Trump attended the New York Military Academy.
A 2021 assessment by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) found no indications that foreign actors tried to alter the technical process of the 2020 election, including voter registration, ballot casting, vote tabulation and results reporting. The assessment separately said Russia and Iran conducted influence campaigns. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also said they found no evidence that foreign government-affiliated actors changed votes or disrupted the 2020 tally.
The Constitution gives state legislatures the power to set rules for congressional elections, while Congress can change those rules through legislation. The Congressional Research Service says the National Emergencies Act requires a president declaring an emergency to specify which statutory powers the declaration would use. The draft cites that law and other statutes.
The Atlantic reported in September that a White House official said Ticktin and other outside advocates had no role in election policy. The Federal Election Commission (FEC) lists Nov. 3, 2026, as the general election date.
