Illinois voters participating in the April 1st consolidated elections will not need to provide proof of U.S. citizenship, despite a recent executive order from President Donald Trump mandating such requirements.
On March 25th, Trump issued an order directing federal agencies to enforce a nationwide rule requiring voters to present documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote.
Matt Dietrich, spokesperson for the Illinois State Board of Elections, clarified in an email that under the National Voter Registration Act, voters are only required to sign a sworn statement affirming their U.S. citizenship on their voter registration applications. He also emphasized that Illinois does not mandate photo identification at polling places.
Trump’s executive order instructs the federal Election Assistance Commission to modify the federal voter registration form to include a section for state or local officials to document the type of citizenship proof provided by applicants. Additionally, it threatens to withhold federal election funds from states that do not comply with these requirements.
The executive order specifies acceptable forms of documentation, including U.S. passports, state-issued driver’s licenses compliant with the federal REAL ID Act, official military IDs confirming U.S. citizenship, and valid photo IDs from state or federal governments indicating citizenship.
Moreover, the order directs the Department of Homeland Security, in collaboration with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), to review state voter registration lists against federal immigration databases to ensure compliance with laws prohibiting noncitizen voting.
David Becker, an election law expert and director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research, expressed skepticism about the order’s legality, predicting it will face significant legal challenges. He pointed to Article I, Section 4 of the U.S. Constitution, which grants states the authority to regulate the timing, locations, and conduct of elections, while allowing Congress to alter such regulations.
Since his election in 2016, Trump has repeatedly claimed, without substantiation, that noncitizens are voting illegally. Following his first inauguration, he established the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity to investigate voter fraud claims, but the commission was disbanded within a year due to lawsuits and resistance from states, including Illinois, regarding access to voter registration data.
At that time, Illinois law prohibited the release of the state’s complete voter registration database, except to designated political committees or government entities for official purposes. Recently, the state board has begun providing a limited version of the voter registration database to the public, omitting full home addresses.
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