Root Pushes a Bigger Election Security Move
Conservative commentator Wayne Allyn Root is arguing that President Trump should stop waiting on Congress and declare what Root calls a “National Security Emergency for Elections.” Root says he has been pushing the idea for months, with help from election security expert John Goodman. His main point is simple: the SAVE Act may sound good to conservatives, but he believes it is too slow, too narrow, and too easy for Democrats to stall. Root says the emergency route would let Trump move faster on election rules tied to voter ID, proof of citizenship, limits on mail-in voting, and concerns over voting machines. That is a bold claim, and it is also exactly the kind of idea that sends the usual media crowd running for the fainting couch.
The SAVE Act Problem, According to Root
Root says he supports the SAVE Act in theory, but he does not believe it can pass the Senate under current rules. He points to the filibuster and the need for 60 votes as the key roadblocks. Even if Republicans found a way to pass it, Root argues it would likely face immediate court challenges from Democrats and left-wing legal groups. In his view, that means the law would not be in place soon enough to affect the midterm elections. Root also says the SAVE Act does not go far enough because it focuses heavily on citizenship and registration safeguards while leaving other issues, like machine voting, outside the center of the fight. Whether one agrees with every piece of that argument or not, the political math in the Senate is a very real obstacle.
Why Democrats Are Paying Attention
Root claims Democrats and liberal media groups reacted strongly after he promoted the national security emergency idea on Steve Bannon’s “War Room.” He specifically names Media Matters, a left-wing media watchdog group funded in part by George Soros, as one of the loudest critics. Root reads that reaction as proof that his proposal has teeth. His argument is that the left is not panicking over weak ideas, but over ideas that might actually change the election battlefield. That may be Root’s spin, but it is also true that election rules have become one of the biggest political flashpoints in the country. Democrats often call Republican election security proposals “voter suppression,” while conservatives see many Democratic election policies as an open invitation to chaos, loopholes, and ballot gamesmanship.
The Border Emergency Example
Root compares this election proposal to Trump’s 2019 national emergency declaration at the southern border. Back then, Trump used emergency authority after Congress refused to provide the level of border wall funding he wanted. The move allowed the administration to redirect some Pentagon funds toward border barriers, though it also sparked legal and political fights. Root says that earlier fight proves the emergency strategy can work when Congress refuses to act. He also credits himself with pushing the border emergency idea at the time. That part is his claim, but the broader point is clear: Root sees presidential emergency power as a tool to break Washington gridlock when national security is on the line. Of course, Washington suddenly discovers its love for “norms” whenever a Republican uses the power Democrats were perfectly happy to expand.
The Legal Fight Would Be Fierce
Root argues that a national security emergency is different from a normal executive order and says it would be much harder for opponents to stop. He points to a 1983 Supreme Court ruling as part of his reasoning and says Congress would need overwhelming votes to overturn such a move. That said, any major election-related emergency declaration would almost certainly draw lawsuits, public pressure, and wall-to-wall media attacks. Courts have reviewed presidential emergency actions before, so the exact limits would matter. The strongest version of Root’s argument is that foreign interference, noncitizen voting concerns, loose mail-in ballot rules, and voting system security can be framed as national security issues, not just state election matters. If Trump moves in that direction, the fight will not be quiet, polite, or hidden in fine print.
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