Trump Signs Order Calling for U.S. Citizenship Proof

U.S. voters will now have to prove their American citizenship when registering to vote - President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that will require voters to prove they are U.S. citizens. BelTA reports, citing Reuters.

The sweeping order also seeks to prevent states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election DayThe sweeping order also would. In addition, it will be aimed at taking federal funding away from states that do not comply.

Media outlets note that Trump has long questioned the electoral system in place in the United States. The U.S. leader and his Republican allies have previously announced large-scale voting by non-citizens.

"We’ve got to straighten out our elections. This country is so sick because of the election, the fake elections, and the bad elections, and we’re going to straighten it out, one way or the other," - Trump said as he signed the executive order at the White House.

The White House says Trump's executive order will prevent foreign nationals from interfering in U.S. elections. Under the new directive, voters will be asked to put a citizenship question on the federal voting form for the first time.

The executive order criticized the policy of allowing ballots to be mailed and counted after Election Day. The executive order said Trump's policy is to "require that votes be cast and received by the election date established by law."

Trump's executive order also instructs the Secretary of Homeland Security to ensure that states have access to systems that verify the citizenship or immigration status of people registering to vote. It intrusts the Department of Homeland Security and the administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency, which is run by Elon Musk, to check states' voter rolls.

Federal agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, will be required to share data to help state officials identify non-citizens on voter rolls. However, voting rights groups have raised concerns that the citizenship requirements could lead to voter disenfranchisement.

"Voters have a right to know that their states are properly maintaining voter rolls and taking prompt action to purge voter registration rolls by removing ineligible voters," said Chairman of the Republican National Committee.