Trump's Election Order Creates Much Confusion Before The Next Federal Election In 2026

President Donald Trump's executive order seeking to change how U.S. elections are run is creating uncertainty for state and local election officials and worries about voter confusion before the next federal election, the 2026 midterms.

Election officials were already dealing with the loss of some cybersecurity assistance from the federal government and now face the potential for major changes that include a new voter registration requirement, decertification of certain voting systems and stricter ballot deadlines for many states.

In Connecticut, Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas is hopeful that ballot scanners the state just bought for 20 million will be acceptable under the executive order, but she worries about other states.

"It's not like states have millions and millions of dollars that they can just upgrade their election equipment every couple of years," said Thomas, a Democrat. "Imagine people purchased new equipment and now it no longer can be used. There is no remedy for that in the order."

Because Trump's order is likely to face legal challenges , it's unclear what will be required and when. That means more uncertainty for election officials.