The United States, long considered a global model of democracy, has found itself at the center of a heated debate over election integrity and the future of voting rights. On September 2, 2025, a new international study, The Meyers Report, delivered a jarring verdict: the U.S. ranks dead last among 37 democracies for election integrity, trailing behind countries like Mexico, Kenya, Italy, and even Rwanda. The findings have poured fuel on an already raging fire, as President Donald Trump and advocacy groups such as AMAC Action push for sweeping reforms—while critics warn of threats to constitutional balance and civil liberties.
The Meyers Report, which evaluated 17 distinct areas of voting system risk, painted a sobering picture of American elections. According to the study, the U.S. has "the worst voting system of the countries studied," citing widespread vulnerabilities in mail-in voting, ballot harvesting, and the use of electronic voting machines without auditable paper trails. The report’s co-author, Jay Delancy of Voter Integrity Project-NC, did not mince words: “The U.S. is supposed to be the shining beacon on the hill for democracy, yet we are the only country surveyed that uses the honor system in any election process of the countries surveyed.”
One of the most striking findings was the prevalence of unrestricted mail-in voting in the U.S.—a practice that 94% of other democracies prohibit. Even countries that do allow mail-in ballots, such as the UK, impose strict eligibility requirements. In contrast, many American states permit broad access with minimal safeguards. The report also revealed that 55% of U.S. states allow ballot harvesting, where third parties collect and submit ballots, a practice banned in every other country in the study. Critics argue that this opens the door to coercion and fraud. As Delancy put it, “Ballot harvesting reinstitutes practices eliminated by the 1965 Voting Rights Act.”
Perhaps most glaringly, the report found that 92% of other democracies require a photo ID to vote, while 29% of U.S. states do not require any identification at all. This gap may soon narrow, as President Trump is considering a dramatic new step: an executive order mandating government-issued photo ID for all federal elections. On Truth Social, Trump declared, “Voter I.D. Must Be Part of Every Single Vote. NO EXCEPTIONS!” He pledged to back his demand with executive authority, promising, “I Will Be Doing An Executive Order To That End!!!” The only exceptions, he said, would be for the very ill or military personnel serving far from home, who could still vote by mail. Everyone else, Trump insisted, would be required to use paper ballots.
Trump’s announcement comes on the heels of previous attempts to overhaul federal voting rules. In March 2025, he issued an executive order requiring documentary proof of U.S. citizenship—such as a passport or naturalization papers—to register with the federal voter form. The order also directed federal agencies to verify citizenship before offering registration, banned counting mail ballots received after Election Day, threatened to withhold federal election funding from non-compliant states, and empowered federal oversight of voter rolls. But these measures quickly ran into legal headwinds. On April 24, Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly in Washington, D.C., blocked key provisions, ruling that the president had overstepped his constitutional bounds. Judge Denise J. Casper in Massachusetts followed suit on June 13, halting further provisions and warning that the requirements posed “irreparable harm,” especially to eligible voters lacking the necessary documentation.
The rulings underscored a bedrock constitutional principle: the regulation of elections is a power reserved to Congress and the states, not the president. As both judges made clear, no single branch of government can unilaterally rewrite the rules of American democracy. Trump’s latest vow to impose voter ID and paper ballots by executive order promises to test these limits once again.
At the state level, voter ID laws are already widespread. Currently, 36 states have some form of voter ID requirement, with states like Georgia, Indiana, and Wisconsin enforcing some of the strictest rules. Others, such as Virginia and Ohio, accept a broader range of documents. These laws have proven popular, and legislatures continue to introduce new measures. Even in states that allow voters without ID to cast provisional ballots, there is a clear trend toward tightening verification. This momentum explains why Trump’s proposal resonates with many voters, who see voter ID as a common-sense safeguard. However, by seeking to impose such rules through federal executive power, Trump risks colliding with the constitutional structure that places election procedures largely in the hands of the states.
For advocacy groups like AMAC Action, the findings of The Meyers Report are a call to arms. With more than two million members, AMAC Action has already helped secure 22 election integrity victories in over a dozen states in 2024, including bans on ranked-choice voting and noncitizen voting. “These findings should serve as a wake-up call to lawmakers and citizens alike,” said AMAC Action Senior Vice President Andy Mangione. “Our members have seen firsthand how weak election laws erode public confidence, and we’ve worked tirelessly to advance common-sense reforms that restore transparency and accountability.” AMAC CEO Rebecca Weber echoed this sentiment: “Election integrity isn’t about partisanship; it’s about protecting the foundation of our republic. AMAC will continue to fight for voter ID laws, secure ballot processes, and meaningful audits of election systems.”
Yet not everyone is convinced that the push for stricter voting rules is purely about security. Critics like Catherine Austin Fitts, a former Housing and Urban Development official, warn that the voter ID initiative is part of a broader effort to create a "digital control grid"—a centralized system where voting, finance, and even medical records are tied together under federal oversight. “DJT implementing the control grid,” Fitts wrote on social media. “The goal is digital IDs to work with programmable money. This will give the bankers control of all fiscal policy and make any votes worthless. This is a coup d’état.” Fitts and others see the enforcement of the REAL ID Act, the GENIUS Act regulating stablecoins, and Palantir Technologies’ development of a centralized AI-driven platform for federal records as steps toward a digital regime where privacy and autonomy are at risk.
The Meyers Report did highlight some bright spots in the American system. States like Mississippi, Arkansas, and Kentucky scored above 75 in election integrity, while Nevada, Vermont, California, Illinois, and Washington, D.C. languished at the bottom with scores between 30 and 39. AMAC Action remains focused on expanding state-level legislative initiatives and grassroots engagement, especially with new election reform legislation on the horizon for 2026. “This report gives us a roadmap,” Mangione said. “We know what works, and we know our members are ready to take action. We’re going to keep pushing until every American can trust the outcome of every election.”
As the debate intensifies, the U.S. finds itself at a constitutional crossroads. The push for stronger election safeguards is clashing with concerns about federal overreach and the erosion of civil liberties. With the 2026 reform wave looming, the future of American democracy hangs in the balance, shaped by the ongoing struggle between security, freedom, and the rule of law.
