US President Donald Trump on Tuesday signed an executive order aimed at "preserving and protecting the integrity of American elections" - and it could make voting from abroad more challenging.
The order seeks to update the federal form voters use to register to vote so that it would require "documentary proof of United States citizenship", despite the fact that similar legislation (the SAVE Act) is currently making its way through Congress.
The directive also calls for stronger prosecution of fraud and election-related crimes, and it would give DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) the power to inspect states' voter registration lists. States who do not comply with the executive order risk losing federal funding.
As with many of the recent executive orders, this one could be subject to legal challenge - but here's a look at the parts that affect Americans living in Europe.
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How exactly would it affect Americans abroad?
Trump's executive order does not mention the need to update voter registration 'in person', but it could make it harder and more tedious for Americans abroad to vote.
"If the executive order survives legal attack, it’ll make it significantly less convenient for US citizens overseas – including members of the military and their families – to register for American elections," Justin Levitt, a professor at Loyola Law School in California and former civil-rights official in the US Justice Department, told The Local.
"The most alarming portion of the order for Americans abroad concerns the portion in section 3(d)", Levitt explained.
This would "require the Department of Defense to update the simple postcard, required by federal law, that citizens overseas can presently use to register and request an absentee ballot.
"The executive order purports to add a requirement to that postcard application that applicants submit copies of documentary proof of citizenship and unspecified 'proof of eligibility to vote' in elections," he said.
Levitt noted that this 'proof of eligibility to vote' would "presumably [be] some sort of proof of domicile in a particular state. Both of those things are going to make the postcard application a lot less convenient."
However, as things stand, "this isn't likely an absolute barrier".
"Overseas voters should still be able to register using their state’s own voter registration form without the extra information, though it might well create some confusion for election officials used to getting the federal postcard from citizens overseas," the law professor said.
Critics, like the Center for American Progress, have warned that the order could block millions of eligible Americans from voting, as birth certificates are not listed among eligible documents and many US citizens do not have a passport - although this is obviously not a problem for Americans abroad.
Meanwhile Democrats Abroad issued a statement on calling the order "a blatant attempt to suppress millions of absentee and mail-in votes - including those of overseas Americans. Trump vastly oversteps his authority in his attempt to overrule state and federal law.
"By singling out military and overseas voters to make voting more difficult for them, Trump once again shows his callous disregard for the men and women who serve our nation."
It is expected that the executive order will be challenged in the courts for executive overreach, and organisations like the ACLU have already promised to challenge the directive.
What about the SAVE Act?
The 'Safeguard American Voter Eligibility' Act, which could come up for a vote during the first week of April, would tighten the rules on voting in US elections, has a similar goal as Trump's executive order, though it differs in some key ways.
Notably, for Americans abroad, the SAVE Act would require anyone wishing to register to vote (or update their voter registration) to first show proof of their US citizenship, via a passport or birth certificate, in person to a US election official.
At present Americans living in Europe can register to vote by mail, depending on the rules in their state, but this legislation would require a trip to the US in order to register or make changes.
READ MORE: New US bill could restrict voting rights of Americans abroad
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