US President Donald Trump has threatened to bypass Congress and impose new nationwide voting rules ahead of November's midterm elections, signalling he could act unilaterally if lawmakers fail to pass election reforms.
In a post on his Truth Social platform on Friday, Trump said he would issue an executive order requiring photo identification to vote and introducing other nationwide measures if Congress does not approve the changes.
"There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!" Trump 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," he added.
Any such move would likely face immediate legal challenges and could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
The Trump-backed "SAVE America" election reform act passed the Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week.
Potential failure
However, it is widely expected to fail in the Senate, where Republicans hold only a narrow majority and would require Democratic support to advance the legislation.
In addition to requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot, the bill would also require proof of citizenship to register to vote.
Critics say that the bill's measures would push millions of people away from casting ballots, because they don't have a passport or a paper copy of their birth certificate.
An analysis by the Brennan Center found more than 21 million Americans lack easy access to such documents.
This would "disenfranchise Americans of all ages," the center found — especially young people and ethnic minorities.
While many US jurisdictions already mandate photo ID, others do not.
Trump and several Republican allies have argued that areas without strict ID requirements are vulnerable to voter fraud.
Under the US Constitution, states retain broad authority over the administration of elections, and it remains unclear how the White House could legally impose a national voter ID mandate.
Opinion polls suggest Republicans risk losing their narrow control of Congress in November.
Democrats have indicated that, if they regain the majority, they would block Trump's legislative agenda and could pursue impeachment proceedings.
