The end of democracy? This is how drastically Trump wants to change the US electoral system

Donald Trump has announced a comprehensive change to the US electoral system. In doing so, he is making good on a promise he made at election rallies before the presidential election.

Is democracy in the USA coming to an end under President Trump? There are some indications that it is. Even in the run-up to the election, Donald Trump repeatedly hinted that he would reform voting rights after his election as US President. At a campaign event in Florida in July, Trump boldly announced that if he was elected, it would no longer be necessary to go to the polls in four years' time. Now he seems to want to create facts, as the US news magazine "Newsweek" reports.

On Thursday, Trump accepted the "Patriot of the Year" award at an event organized by "Fox" on Long Island - and declared in his subsequent speech: We have to fix things in this country, including the elections." And Trump became more specific for the first time: "We want to introduce paper ballots, one-day elections, voter ID cards and proof of citizenship."

Trump senses fraud in postal voting

Trump simply wants to abolish postal voting. It is one of the president-elect's favorite topics. Trump never tires of spreading misinformation about the process. Yet postal voting in the USA has become increasingly popular since the Covid-19 pandemic. More and more people are voting early or by postal vote. According to the New York research institute Brennan Center for Justice, 88,233,886 people voted by postal vote or another form of early voting in the 2024 US election. 98 percent of counties in the US use paper ballots that are submitted on-site on Election Day

Trump already tried to restrict the right to vote by post in the 2020 US election. He and his team filed several lawsuits to make it more difficult to vote by post. Trump described postal ballots as "dangerous" and "corrupt". He claimed they would lead to "massive voter fraud" and a "rigged" election. In terms of security, Trump called the mailboxes into which election documents can be deposited a "disaster".

At the time, a US federal judge in the state of Pennsylvania ordered the proceedings to be put on hold for the time being in the dispute over a ban on ballot boxes and changes to the postal voting process. Trump later blamed absentee ballots for his election defeat in 2020.

Rural and non-white voters disadvantaged

According to the news magazine, a return to the classic model of one-day voting without postal voting would certainly have consequences. Such a measure would probably disadvantage rural voters. Especially in swing states, which have high rates of early voters, many of whom have supported Trump in the past. It would also disproportionately affect disabled voters, whose turnout increased in 2020 as a result of postal voting.

ID checks when casting a vote

Trump also denounced a law recently passed in California that prohibits local governments from requiring voters to show ID when casting a ballot. "In California, they just passed a law that doesn't even allow a voter to ask a voter for their voter ID," Trump complained.

"Newsweek" complains that stricter identification requirements for proof of citizenship and voter IDs would put non-white people at a disadvantage. According to the news magazine, citing information from National Public Radio (NPR), this disproportionately non-white group of voters usually identifies as either independent or Democrat.

At the same time, voter ID laws are steadily increasing in the US. According to the report, a total of 35 states will require a government-issued identification document to vote in the presidential election in November. In 24 states, voters will need a photo ID, such as a driver's license or US passport.