Trump allies circulate draft emergency order for federal takeover of elections

Anti-voting activists allied with Trump, led by lawyer Peter Ticktin, circulated a draft executive order that would invoke national emergency powers to assert federal control over state-administered elections, citing purported Chinese interference threats. The draft, dated April 2025 but circulated in coordination with White House contacts in February 2026, would effectively override the Help America Vote Act and decades of state sovereignty over election administration. Trump publicly denied considering the order while allies described it as being prepared for signature ahead of midterms.