USA Trump wants to tighten rules for US elections
US President Donald Trump wants to significantly tighten the rules for voting in the United States with a far-reaching decree.
25.03.2025, 23:09
25.03.2025, 23:10
SDA
In a new decree, the Republican has instructed several federal authorities to take measures aimed at more restrictive handling of voter registration, postal voting and election monitoring.
A US president cannot directly force states to change their election laws - their design falls under their jurisdiction. Trump is therefore planning to exert financial pressure to push through his plans: Certain federal funds should only flow to states that comply.
Trump cites role models - like Germany
Among other things, the order provides for stricter verification requirements for US citizenship, stricter measures to combat suspected voter fraud and restrictions on postal voting.
Among other countries, Germany is cited as a model for more reliable voting rules, as in Germany - in contrast to the "patchwork of voting methods" in the USA - voting is still carried out using paper ballots. Depending on the state, voting computers and digital counting systems are used in US elections.
Experts emphasize that, despite its complexity, the US electoral system is essentially reliable and cases of electoral fraud are rare. Civil rights activists accuse Trump of wanting to make voting more difficult for certain population groups.
Civil rights activists: attack on democratic participation
The Republican has still not conceded his defeat in the 2020 presidential election against Democrat Joe Biden. His unsubstantiated allegation of massive electoral fraud was a major trigger for the violent storming of the US Capitol by radicalized supporters on 6 January 2021.
Experts expect civil rights organizations to take legal action against the decree. They see it as an attack on democratic participation, particularly of minorities. The fact that Trump is targeting postal voting is also viewed critically. Many people in the USA - a large country with often inadequate public transport - are dependent on it.
