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President Donald Trump signed an executive order that crackdown on voting by mail.\u00a0 (Photo by Kyle Mazza\/Anadolu via Getty Images)<\/p>\n
Anadolu\/Anadolu via Getty Images<\/p>\n
Austin-area election officials say their current ballot operations comply with state and federal laws after President Donald Trump this week issued an\u00a0executive order<\/a> targeting mail voting.<\/a><\/p>\n Trump signed the order, which seeks to create a national list of citizens to determine voter eligibility and restrict mail ballots, on Tuesday. Critics have linked the move to the president’s continued false claims of widespread voter fraud.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The order could significantly reshape how elections are administered nationwide, particularly for mail voting, by introducing new federal oversight into a system historically run by states \u2014 setting up a likely legal clash over presidential authority, according to legal experts.<\/p>\n What does the order say?\u00a0<\/p>\n Trump’s order contains several directives<\/a>, including:\u00a0<\/p>\n Instructing the Department of Homeland Security to create a \u201cstate citizenship list\u201d using data from citizenship and naturalization records, Social Security records and other federal databases Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n How are local election offices responding?<\/p>\n The Elections Division of the Travis County Clerk’s Office and the Williamson County Elections Department said their current operations comply with all state and federal laws.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe Travis County Clerk\u2019s Office will continue to follow all state and federal laws as determined by the courts,\u201d a spokesperson for the clerk\u2019s office told the American-Statesman. \u201cOur responsibility is to administer elections in accordance with the law, and we remain committed to doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Both agencies said they are actively reviewing the president’s recent executive order. The Travis County Clerk’s spokesperson said the office will await formal guidance from the appropriate authorities regarding the order’s legal standing and any required actions.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Hays County and Bastrop County elections offices did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.<\/p>\n Part of broader voting policy push<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\nDirecting federal officials to send the \u201cstate citizenship list\u201d to state election officials
\nOrdering attorneys general to prioritize the prosecution of election officials who provide federal ballots to ineligible voters
\nDirecting the U.S. Postal Service not to transmit mail-in or absentee ballots from any individual not included on the \u201cstate citizenship list\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n