U.S. Constitution Flubs Trump’s Plot to "Nationalize" Elections

President Donald Trump has called for nationalizing voting, the latest in a series of proposed election changes.

The Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution states that the “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof.”

Trump spoke with former FBI deputy director Dan Bongino on his podcast on Feb. 2, as his administration continues to claim fraud in the 2020 presidential election despite lacking evidence.

He accused Democrats, without proof, of bringing migrants into the U.S. to vote, even though only U.S. citizens are allowed to vote in federal and state elections, Kinsey Crowley reported for USA Today.

The U.S. election system is decentralized.

There are more than 10,000 election jurisdictions nationwide, including counties and townships, and each state has its own election official and rules for administering elections.

The Elections Clause of the U.S. Constitution states that the “Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof,” though Congress may make or alter such regulations.

The president is elected through a state-based elector system, and while the number of electors is set, the method by which they are chosen is largely determined by states and political parties.

Nationalizing voting would likely mark a sharp departure from this framework, though Trump did not provide specifics during the podcast.

A decentralized election system also bolsters security, as any single hacking or fraud effort would be unlikely to sway state or federal elections.

Democratic Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer likened Trump to a dictator, saying on the Senate floor, “Does Donald Trump need a copy of the Constitution? What he is saying is outlandishly illegal.”

It is not the first time Trump has floated changes to future elections. He has spurred a nationwide mid-decade redistricting battle in an effort to give Republicans more seats in Congress and retain control of the House after the midterms.

He has also repeatedly flirted with a third term, despite the Constitution’s two-term limit. Speaking to Reuters about the midterms, Trump said, “We shouldn’t even have an election,” drawing condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike.