Trump threatens to bypass Congress, order election reforms ahead of midterms — pushes for voter ID, citizenship proof

US President Donald Trump threatened to bypass Congress and force stringent new voter ID laws ahead of November midterm elections. In a statement on Friday, Trump said, “There will be Voter I.D. for the Midterm Elections, whether approved by Congress or not!”

“Also, the People of our Country are insisting on Citizenship, and No Mail-In Ballots, with exceptions for Military, Disability, Illness, or Travel,” he added in a TRUTH post on Friday.

While many jurisdictions across the United States require photo ID to cast ballots, not all do, with Trump and many Republicans arguing without evidence that those areas have permitted significant voter fraud.

Trump did not explain how he would go about imposing such rules, which critics say would serve to prevent millions of legitimate voters from taking part in the election, news agency AFP reported.

Trump slammed the Democrats, saying they refused to vote for Voter ID or citizenship. “The reason is very simple — They want to continue to cheat in Elections,” Trump alleged.

“This was not what our Founders desired. I have searched the depths of Legal Arguments not yet articulated or vetted on this subject, and will be presenting an irrefutable one in the very near future,” he added.

In a separate social media post, Trump said, “We cannot let the Democrats get away with NO VOTER I.D. any longer.”

“These are horrible, disingenuous CHEATERS. They have all sorts of reasons why it shouldn’t be passed, and then boldly laugh in the backrooms after their ridiculous presentations,” Trump wrote.

“If it weren’t such a serious matter, it would be considered a TOTAL JOKE! No Voter I.D. is even crazier, and more ridiculous, than Men playing in Women’s Sports, Open Borders, or Transgender for Everyone,” he addded.

"Republicans must put this at the top of every speech — It is a CAN’T MISS FOR RE-ELECTION IN THE MIDTERMS, AND BEYOND!, the US President said.

He went on to say that this is an issue that must be fought, and must be fought now.

The Trump-backed "SAVE America" election reform act was passed in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives this week.

However, it is expected to fail in the Senate, where the Republican majority is too slim to pass the law without Democratic support.

In addition to requiring a photo ID to cast a ballot, the bill would also require proof of citizenship to register to vote.

There is no evidence of meaningful fraud in US elections and critics say that the bill's measures would instead push millions of people away from casting ballots, because they don't have a passport or a paper copy of their birth certificate.

It was unclear how Trump could legally force a national mandate on voter ID. However, the 79-year-old Republican has repeatedly overturned norms in the White House.