Trump vows to require voter ID in midterms "whether approved by Congress or not"

Politics Trump vows to require voter ID in midterms "whether approved by Congress or not" By Caitlin Yilek Caitlin Yilek Politics Reporter Caitlin Yilek is a politics reporter at CBSNews.com, based in Washington, D.C. She previously worked for the Washington Examiner and The Hill, and was a member of the 2022 Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship with the National Press Foundation. Read Full Bio Caitlin Yilek Updated on: February 13, 2026 / 6:05 PM EST / CBS News Add CBS News on Google Washington — President Trump declared Friday he would seek to bypass Congress and require voter identification in the November midterm elections as legislation on the issue appears doomed in the Senate. "There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!" Mr. Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. He said there should also be proof of citizenship and a ban on mail-in ballots, with some exceptions.Mr. Trump has claimed, without evidence, that widespread voter fraud has helped Democrats win elections. Instances of noncitizens voting are exceedingly rare and already illegal. In another post, the president said he would be making his case in a forthcoming executive order. "This is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought, NOW!" he wrote. "If we can't get it through Congress, there are Legal reasons why this SCAM is not permitted. I will be presenting them shortly, in the form of an Executive Order." Election experts have said the president doesn't have the legal authority to change election rules on his own, without an act of Congress. Last year, a federal judge rejected Mr. Trump's efforts to require proof of citizenship to register to vote in federal elections via executive order. "Our Constitution entrusts Congress and the states — not the president — with the authority to regulate federal elections," the judge wrote. "Consistent with that allocation of power, Congress is currently debating legi...