Trump’s promise to require only paper ballots stalls

With the midterms less than a year away, President Donald Trump's promise to require only paper ballots has not materialized.

We asked the White House what steps Trump has taken to mandate only paper ballots. A spokesperson sent back a statement about the administration's commitment to secure elections, but did not address paper ballots. 

It's unclear what Trump wants to change with respect to paper ballots since most voters already cast their ballots directly on paper, or use machines that print out a paper record of their votes. The only machines without a voter-verified paper audit trail are in Louisiana, where officials have sought for years to update their equipment but have struggled amid political infighting and complaints from bidders.

The executive branch's role in elections is to enforce federal laws such as the Voting Rights Act and National Voter Registration Act. States, meanwhile, have the right to set laws about election equipment.

Trump doesn't have the power to change state laws about voting equipment, said Jonathan Diaz, a lawyer at the Campaign Legal Center.

"The president's role and the role of the entire executive branch in election administration is minimal to zero," Diaz said.

Congress can pass election laws, but it has not passed any related to paper ballots.

Trump's promise to require paper ballots is one of about 75 promises we are tracking on our MAGA-Meter. As of his first year, he had not made progress on any voting promises we are tracking on our MAGA-Meter, including to count all votes on election night.

We rate this promise Stalled.

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