With the 2026 midterms approaching, the Trump administration and its allies have intensified a sweeping campaign to erode the safeguards that keep our elections free, fair and secure. These efforts form a clear pattern: undermining the rule of law; destabilizing election administration; and weakening our institutions and election protections.
This push has taken many forms, including spreading election disinformation, weaponizing the power of the federal government against American voters and even denying valid election results. The administration is trying to assert authority over our elections the president does not have. Those attempts ignore the Constitution, which clearly gives authority over elections to the states and Congress.
Following President Donald Trump’s lead, his allies in the administration and in the states have attempted to seize ballots, voting machines and other election materials in an apparent effort to cast doubt on legitimate results and build the case for future election interference.
To make matters worse, the president ignited a nationwide redistricting race to the bottom to boost his political party’s chances of holding onto power in Congress. This has only been amplified by a Roberts-led U.S. Supreme Court that bookended its decades-long quest to demolish the Voting Rights Act in Louisiana v. Callais.
These actions — many of which are unconstitutional, illegal abuses of power — threaten the rights that define us as Americans: to choose our own leaders; to express political views without fear of retribution; and to live in a country where the rule of law prevents the president from interfering in an election.
How are President Trump and his allies undermining our elections?
President Trump and his allies are launching an unprecedented attack on the freedom to vote by issuing unconstitutional executive orders, launching an illegal attempt to seize personal and private voter data, purging voters from the voter rolls, illegally seizing ballots and election materials, rigging our voting maps, targeting pro-voter organizations and more.
Historically, the federal government has played an important role in ensuring that our elections are safe, secure and accurate, providing critical support to states to protect elections from outside threats. Today, however, the federal government is staffed at the highest levels by individuals with a history of supporting false and discredited conspiracy theories about our elections. These officials are enabling an agenda that seeks to take the power to control election outcomes out of the hands of everyday voters.
Campaign Legal Center has responded to each one of these threats swiftly by:
- Litigating against unconstitutional executive actions that attempt to override state election laws or undermine protections for voters;
- Challenging unlawful voter purges and data seizure efforts in court, ensuring states cannot remove eligible voters or hand over sensitive personal information without legal authority;
- Defending pro‑voter organizations whose efforts to register voters and help them participate in our elections are threatened by retaliatory investigations or punitive restrictions;
- Combating election disinformation through public education, helping voters understand their rights and countering false narratives designed to suppress participation;
- Challenging unfair voting maps in court in states with constitutional bans on partisan gerrymandering.
In addition to trying to quash fair representation and limit who can make their voices heard at the ballot box, the administration is trying to push beyond the limits of presidential power, silence political dissent and dissolve our country's constitutionally mandated separation of powers.
Campaign Legal Center has responded to these threats by filing lawsuits to block abuses of presidential power that exceed constitutional limits or undermine the separation of powers; defending the rights of Americans to engage in peaceful political expression; and holding federal officials accountable for violating anti-corruption and transparency laws.
In the face of these threats, we must be clear-eyed about what the midterm elections will look like. Trump and his allies are laying the groundwork for potential future election subversion by steadily eroding public trust in the electoral process and positioning loyalists in government who could override legitimate outcomes.
Through repeated attempts to delegitimize past elections, pressure state officials and expand executive power beyond constitutional limits, they are creating an environment where disregarding certified results becomes thinkable.
These efforts are reinforced by coordinated attacks on independent election administration, attempts to seize control of voting infrastructure and rhetoric designed to cast routine election procedures as suspect. These actions reflect a deliberate strategy to weaken the institutions that ensure elections are decided by voters — not by those in power.
Despite the chaos President Trump and his allies are attempting to create, one thing remains clear: No president has the power to cancel or postpone federal elections, nor can the president abuse emergency powers to override the will of the voters. The Constitution places election authority squarely with the states Congress, and Election Day is set by federal law.
Our democracy is under threat, but attempts to subvert our elections will not be successful. Campaign Legal Center and our partners stand ready to defend against the numerous challenges facing our democracy and will draw on the tools at our disposal to ensure that our nation’s strong track record of conducting accessible, safe, secure and accurate elections continues during the 2026 midterms.
Democracy requires constant care and vigilance on the part of all Americans, especially when it is under great strain. Campaign Legal Center’s work is about building a stronger democracy — one where every voter has a voice and has the ability to make that voice heard.
The challenges ahead are real, but they are not insurmountable. Millions of Americans care deeply about the health of our democracy, and organizations like Campaign Legal Center are working tirelessly to defend it.
By protecting the freedom to vote and fighting for fair maps and transparent elections, we can ensure that our democratic system remains resilient. The future of our elections depends on the actions we take today. And Campaign Legal Center will be there — every step of the way — to stand up for a democracy that works for all of us.
