Morrisville, North Carolina (4/1/26) — Last evening, the President of the United States signed an Executive Order that takes a cue from all too many authoritarian leaders before him that seek to consolidate power, punish their critics, and stoke fear across the nation.
The Executive Order would create a nationwide log of eligible voters in each state through what the President calls a “State Citizenship List,” a proposed collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security and Social Security Administration. The order also directly attacks mail-in voting, a method the President has called “cheating” but he himself uses without issue or concern because, in his words, “I’m the President.”
The order would bar the U.S. Postal Service from sending absentee or mail-in ballots to anyone who wasn’t on the so-called “State Citizenship List,” and require these ballots to have envelopes with barcodes for tracking purposes. Under the order, states and local municipalities who refuse to comply with this order could be denied federal funding.
“Democracy North Carolina has always been, and always will be, a nonpartisan organization. Our allegiance is not with any single party or political ideology. But make no mistake. The President issuing such a transparently authoritarian order is – to use a word used so frequently over the last several years that it has nearly ceased to have meaning – unprecedented in our nation,” said Adrienne Kelly, Executive Director of Democracy North Carolina. “It’s a sad, appalling, desperate power grab. And it is equally not surprising given this person’s continued insistence on spitting in the face of the very nation he has vowed under oath – twice – to preserve, protect, and defend through our constitution.
“The concept of a ‘citizenship list’ has a tried and true history throughout fascist dictatorships worldwide in the 20th century. This cannot be allowed to move forward. Those in power, on any side, who continue to defend or allow the President’s actions to dismantle the United States from within must take a hard look at themselves. Meanwhile, we will continue to defend the people we have vowed to protect – all North Carolina voters – no oath or Executive Order required.”
Democracy North Carolina is a statewide nonpartisan organization that uses research, organizing, and advocacy to increase civic participation, reduce the influence of big money in politics, and remove systemic barriers to voting and serving in elected office. Learn more at democracync.org.