Original title: No, Trump Can’t Legally Federalize US Elections
With the Trump administration assaulting both the spirit and the letter of the United States Constitution on multiple fronts, President Donald Trump has also become increasingly vocal—and combative—in his plans for US election administration. After nearly a decade of federal and state investment in election security and integrity initiatives, researchers and election officials working on the ground around the country have been clear that US election infrastructure is as robust and transparent as it’s ever been. In a March executive order and subsequent comments on social media, though, Trump has promoted a baseless counternarrative that US election infrastructure is outmoded and unreliable, requiring federal intervention. Trump’s administration has also curtailed a significant portion of the federal government’s election security work and installed officials within the Department of Homeland Security who deny the validity of Trump’s 2020 presidential loss. Most recently, election consp