Trump’s Order Could Force States To Buy Costly New Voting Machines

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By Patrick Marley and Yvonne Wingett Sanchez

President Donald Trump’s plan to overhaul elections could hurl 2026 into turmoil by forcing states to hand-count ballots or scramble to spend millions of dollars on voting systems that aren’t yet on the market, according to election officials and voting experts.

If put into effect, his recent executive order attempting to transform elections could make it impossible for some states to use voting machines, election experts said. No voting systems are commercially available that meet the standards the president put forward in his executive order. Election officials broadly oppose hand-counting ballots as an alternative because the practice is time-consuming and prone to errors.

If Trump’s plan ever comes to fruition, it could hit taxpayers hard. Outfitting every state with new machines could cost $1 billion or more.

“It will create chaos in the states, and it seems almost designed to create chaos,” said David Becker, executive director of the nonprofit Center for Election Innovation and Research.

Trump’s order, however, probably won’t be implemented anytime soon. Scholars say he has exceeded his authority by claiming powers he doesn’t have, and his order quickly drew five lawsuits from state officials, Democrats and voting rights groups.

The directive Trump signed last month is aimed at requiring voters to prove they are citizens when they register to vote, changing the deadlines in some states for returning ballots by mail, allowing federal agencies to review state voter lists and making states buy new voting systems. It yielded legal challenges a week later from state attorneys general, the Democratic National Committee, the League of Women Voters, the League of United Latin American Citizens and others.

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