Matt BlazeAug 31, 2025

Just for the record, Trump can’t do this. The Constitution is very clear that the “times, places, and manner“ of elections for federal office are determined by individual states (though can be altered by Congress).

The president simply has no role in US elections (except to sign into law or veto whatever election-related bills that congress might pass).

Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
And this is not some borderline edge case. It’s addressed directly in Article I of the Constitution. See https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript for this and other fun facts about how our government is organized.
Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
Now, Congress might well be able to legislate some or all of the things in Trump’s putative elections order. And the current Congress has been generally compliant with Trump’s legislative wishes, so it’s not out of the question that they might advance a bill with provisions along these lines, or that some state legislatures might do the same. But no executive order can require them to do so. It’s meaningless.
Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
Also, “Executive Orders” are not laws. They’re orders to the executive branch of the federal government. If you don’t work for the executive branch of the federal government (say, for example, you’re a state election official), presidential executive orders don’t apply to you.
Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
It's also worth noting that the measures he calls for - voter ID, no vote-by-mail, etc - are nothing new. He and others have long advocated for them, and some states already implement versions of them. So everything in this "order", which has all the legal force of a "suggestion", is also old news.
Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025

Finally, the federal government has no role in actually running US elections. States do that (usually via counties). So there is no one subject to this order in a position to follow it.

There are plenty of things to worry about with Trump. The legitimate power of the presidency is already vast, and he constantly pushes at its edges to abuse the office further still. But this “order” is just empty blather on his part, not something that he has any ability to actually implement or require.

Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
This thread brought to you by someone who researches and teaches election stuff at a still-somewhat-reputable school.
Show threadaburtch
@mattblaze All true, but Trump’s “F*ck you, make me” policy remains undefeated. So his order will be followed regardless. Especially since that’s what the oligarchs want.
Sep 1, 2025 at 1:26amWeb
Show threadMatt BlazeSep 1, 2025
@aburtch Followed by who? No one in the executive branch runs elections, registers voters, or does any of the things the order addresses. See the thread you responded to for details if you're curious. I'm done repeating myself.
Show threadGlyphSep 1, 2025
@aburtch @mattblaze I am still worried about this, but not from this order. If he were to, for example, command ICE to start seizing voting machines from polling places, that is arguably even more illegal, but more likely to happen because there’s a chain of command there. But in this case, the people in charge of the elections who would carry out the actions described in this order just … won’t look at the order at all. They don’t have a reason to.
Show threadel Celio 🇪🇺 🇺🇦Sep 1, 2025
@aburtch @mattblaze
Please let people continue to think the US still follows the rule of law.
Let them dream, don't wake them.
Show threadKevin CarsonSep 2, 2025
@aburtch @mattblaze But the point is, he lacks any direct control over the machinery of state and local government. So they can also say "fuck you, make me." And ten regular army divisions plus a few thousand LEOs aren't enough to present a credible threat of enforcing direct federal control over polling places. It's not even enough to lock down three major metropolitan areas at once against a hostile population -- which there very much will be if he tries to fuck with elections with his popularity at the levels it will be in Nov 2026. Logistics is a thing.