Trump cannot simply mandate that the federal government take over election administration in a state or local jurisdiction, says Derek Clinger, senior counsel and director of partnerships at the University of Wisconsin Law School’s State Democracy Research Initiative.
To do so would require federal legislation, which Clinger says seems unlikely.
Some Senate Republicans are withholding their votes because they believe the Save America Act “provides too much federal control” over elections, Clinger says. Actually “taking over” administration would be a further step with even less support, he adds.
“American elections have pretty much always been run by the states, with just a few key exceptions where Congress has passed laws impacting that,” says Clinger.