President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Thursday creating a special committee to investigate voter fraud and vulnerabilities in the nation’s electoral system.

The order establishes the “Presidential Commission on Election Integrity,” which is tasked with the “study [of] the registration and voting processes used in federal elections,” the order says.

“This order is a step in the right direction in response to widespread concern about failures in our election systems that can lead to fraud and other irregularities.”

“The vice president shall chair the Commission, which shall be composed of not more than 15 additional members,” the order states.

“The president shall appoint the additional members, who shall include individuals with knowledge and experience in elections, election management, election fraud detection, and voter integrity efforts, and any other individuals with knowledge or experience that the president determines to be of value to the Commission.”

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who has experience investigating voter fraud in his home state, will serve as the committee’s vice chair, Fox News reported.

The establishment of the committee fulfills President Trump’s promise to investigate potential voter fraud in the U.S.

“I will be asking for a major investigation into voter fraud, including those registered to vote in two states, those who are illegal and…. even those registered to vote who are dead (and many for a long time). Depending on results, we will strengthen up voting procedures!” Trump said in a series of tweets five days after his inauguration.

In a February interview with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, Trump again promised to investigate voter fraud “very, very carefully.”

“When you look at the registration and you see dead people that have voted, when you see people that are registered in two states, that have voted in two states, when you see other things, when you see illegals, people that are not citizens and they are on registration roles,” Trump said. “You take a look at registration, you have illegals, you have dead people, you have this, it’s a really bad situation, it’s really bad,” he said.

Election integrity watchdogs applauded the move and noted that the scale of fraud and error has long been difficult to gauge.

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

“This order is a step in the right direction in response to widespread concern about failures in our election systems that can lead to fraud and other irregularities,” said Public Interest Legal Foundation Communications Director Logan Churchwell, in a statement sent to LifeZette.

“The issue of faulty voter registration procedures and record maintenance is ripe for review. Perennial questions surrounding the actual scope of ineligible voters and their rates of participation can only be answered when federal offices share information,” Churchwell said.

“Based on the outcome of this effort, it is not out of the realm of possibility to see real reform efforts surrounding the National Voter Registration Act.”

Not everyone is happy at the prospect of voter fraud being uncovered in America — especially Democrats and their liberal allies, who continue to insist such fraud does not exist.

“The president has issued an executive order to establish a commission to examine ‘voter fraud.’ The only problem with that proposal is that there is virtually no voter fraud in this country,” claimed Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) in a prepared statement.

In addition to wanting people to believe that voter fraud does not exist, the Democrats also wish them to think that Republicans’ desire to investigate such fraud is in fact an attempt to suppress voters, especially minority voters.

“In other words, the idea that significant amounts of voter fraud exist is itself a fraud. The sole purpose of this commission is to propagate a myth and to give encouragement to Republican governors and state legislators to increase voter suppression,” Sanders continued.

[lz_related_box id=”792970″]

“At a time when we already have one of the lowest voter turnouts of any major country, Republicans are working overtime trying to make it harder for poor people, people of color, older people, and young people to vote,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) also leveled accusations of racism at the Trump administration.

“This voter commission is a clear front for constricting the access to vote to poor Americans, older Americans, and — above all — African Americans and Latinos,” Schumer said in a statement.