Power Grab/Fire anyone who can stop him
Trump allies circulate a draft order to seize control of midterm voting by emergency decree
The 17-page draft, dated April 12, 2025, claims China interfered in the 2020 election as the basis for a national emergency. Trump said he had never heard of it.
What happened
A 17-page draft executive order dated April 12, 2025 claims China interfered in the 2020 election as the basis for a national emergency giving the president power over the 2026 midterms. It was circulated among pro-Trump activists.
The draft calls for hand-marked and hand-counted paper ballots, re-registration with proof of citizenship and limits on mail voting. It cites the National Emergencies Act, FISMA and the Defense Production Act. Democracy Docket published the draft and noted errors in its legal citations.
Florida lawyer Peter Ticktin said he had coordinated with White House officials, and ABC News reported Trump had reviewed versions. The Washington Post first reported the draft on February 26, 2026. Asked on February 27, Trump said no and that he had never heard about it.
Who benefited
The president would gain power over how the 2026 midterms are voted and counted if the draft were signed. It would put hand-counted paper ballots, proof-of-citizenship re-registration and limits on mail voting under an emergency declaration rather than ordinary law.
Who wanted something
The activists who circulated the draft wanted an emergency basis for hand-counted ballots, proof-of-citizenship re-registration and limits on mail voting. Ticktin said he had coordinated with White House officials, and ABC News reported Trump had reviewed versions.
Who lost out
Voters would have to re-register with proof of citizenship, and mail voters would face limits, if the draft were signed. Hand counting would replace the machine count. None of this is in force on the record, and Trump said he had never heard about the draft.
Why it matters
A plan to place the midterms under an emergency declaration, built on a claim about China in 2020, was circulated among Trump’s allies for at least ten months before it was reported. Trump denies knowing of it. The receipt stays at Threatened.
Sources Washington PostDemocracy Docket (primary)PBS NewsABC News