Fact vs. Fiction: The Claim of Postponing or Canceling the U.S. Presidential Election

Claim:

Keith Rose, a conservative commentator, claimed that the president has the authority to step in and postpone or cancel the elections if he deems it a national security threat.

Reasoning:

Historically, there is no precedent for postponing or canceling a presidential election. Even during the Civil War, elections were held. The date of the presidential election is set by Congress and administered by the states, not the president. The president has no legal power to change the date of the election unilaterally. If Congress wanted to change Election Day, it would require a bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate and signed into law by the President. The Congressional Research Service report found no mechanism for a U.S. president to cancel a presidential election using emergency powers. The functioning of democracy relies on elections being held as scheduled without the opportunity for candidates or office holders to interfere with that process.

Fact or Fiction?

Fiction. The comprehensive analysis of historical precedents, constitutional law, and the structure of the U.S. electoral system does not support the claim that the president has the authority to postpone or cancel the elections.