President Trump’s Executive Order 14248, signed on March 25, 2025, is sending shockwaves through state election systems across the country. Titled “Preserving and Protecting the Integrity of American Elections,” the order mandates sweeping reforms aimed at ending machine-dominated voting and reinstating voter-verifiable paper ballots as the standard. Now, one state has already acknowledged the inevitable shift: Arkansas is preparing for an all-paper election in 2026.
Trump’s Order Targets Voting System Vulnerabilities
The order enforces several critical federal requirements:
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Proof of U.S. citizenship for voter registration
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Full compliance with Voluntary Voting System Guidelines (VVSG) 2.0
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Prohibition of vote tabulation via QR codes or barcodes
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Mandatory voter-verifiable paper ballots that clearly reflect selections in human-readable text
This is a direct hit to states like Georgia, South Carolina, Nevada, and California, where Ballot Marking Devices (BMDs) and Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) systems dominate.
Arkansas in Disarray: Internal Emails Reveal Panic
After receiving no answers from the Arkansas Secretary of State, attorney Clinton W. Lancaster filed a FOIA request and uncovered internal communications pointing to chaos. Chief of Staff Kevin Niehaus admits the state may be forced into a paper ballot election due to the lack of viable or affordable solutions from ES&S—the state’s voting system provider.
ES&S, whose machines rely on proprietary paper and printers, has told state officials that only their expensive Ballot On Demand printers can meet the order’s requirements. The state lacks the funding to purchase the necessary equipment, effectively cornering Arkansas into going full paper—and fast.
Georgia’s Bold Defiance: Law Ignored, Security Be Damned
Meanwhile, Georgia is openly flouting both federal and state law. Despite the passage of Senate Bill 181 in 2024, which bans QR code vote tabulation, and Trump’s federal order, Georgia continues to rely on BMDs that print ballots using machine-readable barcodes.
This comes even after cybersecurity expert Dr. J. Alex Halderman demonstrated severe vulnerabilities in Georgia’s election system during federal testimony. Officials have refused to update the systems or adopt paper ballots—even under legal pressure.
Litigation Begins, Compliance Crumbles
Legal pushback is underway, with Democrat-aligned groups challenging key provisions in court. A temporary injunction was issued against requiring citizenship proof for public assistance voter registration—but most of Trump’s order remains intact.
The reality is stark: unless states like Texas, Indiana, Ohio, New Jersey, and Louisiana overhaul their election infrastructure immediately, they could face federal compliance action or invalidation of non-compliant votes.
The Tipping Point Has Arrived
Trump’s executive order is not symbolic—it’s functionally reshaping the future of American elections. One state down. Many more are next. As the 2026 midterms approach, a national reckoning over how America casts and counts its votes is here.
Paper ballots are back—and for states resisting compliance, time is running out.