The 77,302,580 Americans who voted for President Donald Trump should be very happy with themselves. The principles they invoke in prayer, that led to assaulting people in the streets and raiding the nation’s capitol are officially conquering democracy itself. Trump has now threatened to nationalize federal elections — a move that endangers the rights of every American citizen and immigrant, red and blue. This is no distant political fight. For anyone outside a superyacht, the consequences will be entirely too personal.
Since the Constitution’s ratification in 1787, states have held primary authority over the administration of federal elections. Under the Elections Clause, the various states regulate the “times, places, and manner” of voting, while Congress retains the power to intervene if necessary — a balance designed to prevent any single authority from controlling the electoral process.
From the former Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Dan Bongino’s podcast, Trump suggested not only placing federal oversight over elections in 15 predominantly Democratic cities but also limiting the use of mail-in ballots. Some supporters even suggested U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement should surround polls, intimidating any voter daring to exercise their constitutional right. This comes as Republican lawmakers attempt to pass the SAVE America Act, a voter suppression measure that would require Americans to present their passport or birth certificate to vote, potentially disenfranchising millions of eligible voters.
The current administration’s fixation with investigating votes impeding voter ability and restricting access to the ballot is striking. Given Trump’s years of tirades against “rigged elections” and a corrupt system that allegedly denied him the presidency in 2020. It seems that the very system that placed him in power — not once, but twice — is not enough. He needs some extra help to stay on the throne he values so much.
Before Americans’ very eyes, the country’s democratic foundations are being tested by a leader that the U.N. General Assembly laughed in the face of. In a joint statement, the governors of 24 Democratic-led states called the president’s threats an “undemocratic attempt to silence the American people who are rejecting his costly and divisive agenda.” Even his own political allies, like Republican Senate Majority Leader John Thune, have raised concerns over constitutional issues in his plan.
The president’s comfort in openly rejecting the electoral process is not only alarming, but should stop every defender of general democracy in their tracks. Every group that has benefitted from democratic representation — people of every race, class, religion, ability and political affiliation — has a stake in what happens next. When the rules of election become tools of power, democracy itself is on the line.
