|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
Coined by former Trump political strategist, Steve Bannon in a 2020 PBS interview, the term Flood The Zone is the political strategy designed to overwhelm the media and public with a literal “flood” of executive actions creating confusion, distraction, and chaos. Since the start of his second term, President Trump signed over 100 executive orders in just 64, averaging about 1.6 orders per day. This strategy surpasses that of any previous president in the past 80 years, with former President Harry Truman holding the prior record of 57 executive orders in his first 100 days. Trump is already at 103 executive orders.
His most recent order requires individuals to provide proof of U.S. citizenship when registering to vote in federal elections. This directive also mandates that all ballots be received by Election Day to be counted.
Why Are People So Alarmed?
Trump is consistently signing executive orders in what appears to utter defiance of the law in continued attempts to override state powers. Requiring proof of citizenship can lead to disenfranchisement, especially for naturalized citizens, elder voters, or people without access to original documents like birth certificates or passports.
Things To Remember
According to the Constitution, states have the authority to run their own elections. The federal government can set broad rules (like voting rights laws), but states determine registration processes, ID requirements, and how votes are counted. Currently, 35 states require voters to present identification at the polls on Election Day. Of these, 24 states mandated photo identification, while 11 accepted other forms of identification. The remaining 16 states did not have such requirements.
So, What’s Next?
Dozens of federal judges have issued rulings that block or challenge executive orders and policies enacted by President Donald Trump. Notably, in the first few months of his current term, the administration has faced at least 15 nationwide injunctions from lower courts. More than both Barack Obama and Joe Biden for their entire terms.
Civil rights groups, voting advocacy orgs, and likely several state attorneys general are expected to file lawsuits. Blue states will almost certainly push back, calling it federal interference. If lower courts block the EO and appeals follow, the issue could reach the U.S. Supreme Court—especially if it impacts the 2026 midterms or is seen as precedent-setting for future elections.
