Election Conspiracy Theorist Gains Trump's Ear on Voting Laws
Peter Ticktin, an 80-year-old Florida lawyer with various connections to Donald Trump, has emerged as a vocal advocate for an emergency executive order aimed at overhauling US voting rules. This move, experts caution, could significantly restrict voting rights and impact the upcoming midterm elections.
Dubious Plan to Reshape Voting Systems
Ticktin, who attended New York Military Academy with Trump and authored the book What Makes Trump Tick in 2020, represents several 2020 election deniers. He is promoting a 17-page draft order dated April 2025 that proposes far-reaching changes. These include requiring all voters to re-register with proof of citizenship, ending the use of vote-tabulation machinery in favor of hand-counting all ballots, banning mail-in ballots, and mandating that all vote counts be completed by midnight on election day.
"I've emailed Trump about the need for an emergency order," Ticktin told the Guardian, suggesting such an order would grant the president extraordinary powers. He claims, without evidence, that "if we don't have hand-counting of ballots, this election will be stolen."
Expert Criticism and Legal Concerns
Election analysts view Ticktin's push as part of a broader effort by election conspiracists to revamp voting rules to benefit Republican fortunes. Sean Morales-Doyle, director of voting rights at the Brennan Center for Justice, criticized the plan, stating that hand-counting all ballots is "not only not feasible but a surefire way to generate inaccuracies."
David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research noted that Trump and his allies lost 61 out of 62 court cases after the 2020 election, where fraud claims were repeatedly rejected. The draft order cites dubious allegations of foreign interference by China and Venezuela to justify emergency measures, despite intelligence reviews finding no such evidence of meddling in the 2020 election.
Trump's Ambiguous Stance and Political Context
Trump has hinted at issuing an executive order for voting changes, writing on social media in February about presenting "an irrefutable" legal argument. However, he later seemed to distance himself from Ticktin's specific draft, focusing instead on pushing the Save America Act through Congress. This legislation, which has passed the House but faces Senate hurdles, would require proof of citizenship to vote and limit mail-in and machine voting.
Ticktin's advocacy overlaps with other prominent election deniers, such as Cleta Mitchell, and follows a checkered legal background, including two suspensions of his law license for conflict of interest issues. He has also been involved in unsuccessful lawsuits, including one dismissed as "frivolous" by a judge.
Broader Implications and Warnings
Larry Noble, a former general counsel at the Federal Election Commission, expressed alarm at the prospect of an executive order driven by election-denying allies, warning it could "badly damage our democracy." Charlie Black, a Republican consultant, predicted that such an order would be legally challenged by states and politically damaging to the Republican brand.
As Trump and his allies voice concerns about losing control of Congress in the fall, Ticktin's efforts highlight ongoing tensions over voting rights and election integrity. With the 2026 midterms approaching, the debate over emergency powers and voting rules continues to intensify, raising questions about the future of US democratic processes.
