… aaaaaaand we’re back!
(and yes, I know the halftime show was unnecessary. Let me have my dumb fun.)
Soccer games often get way more fun to watch (at least to me, soccer n00b) in the second half, and as promised, I’ve saved the good stuff for Part 2.
… as in the less scary stuff. And even some stuff to not feel existential dread about!
Because in a world that seems overstuffed with bad guys doing awful things, there are still good guys doing rad things.
And yes, we CAN stop Trump from stealing the midterm elections.
A lot of folks are pretty down on Democratic leadership in Congress, but whatever your take is on those folks, they’re not just sitting on their hands when it comes to fighting back against Trump’s election interference.
Democrats in both the US House and Senate have recently publicized their engagement in election “war games” – effectively, exercises in responding to all manner of expected election threats.
And honestly, good. The Trump administration’s threats to the freedom and security of our elections are real, and every Democrat at every level of government and activism needs to be extremely ready for what’s coming.
But… while it’s a good thing that congressional Democrats are aware that Trump is absolutely going to try to steal the midterm elections to preserve his party’s majorities in the US House and Senate, there’s honestly not that much that they can do about it (aside from use their bully pulpits, which I frankly wish they were better at doing).
According to NY Rep. Joseph Morelle, who’s reportedly “emerged as the point-man for House Democrats as they look to counter the president’s potential efforts to meddle in the elections,”
Democrats’ overall strategy boils down to educating voters and local officials about the law and their rights, while also being prepared legally. He told MS NOW they have attorneys lined up around the country ready to file lawsuits for virtually any scenario.
And I love that for them.
For reals, supporting state and local election officials is a really important thing to do.
Are you interested in doing so yourself? Power the Polls has great resources to help you connect with your local elections officials to find out how you can help!
But the fact is, many election lawsuits are likely to be led by state attorneys general, advocacy groups, campaigns, and even private citizens.
So hopefully all those “attorneys lined up around the country” are in touch with groups and campaigns already.
Bottom line: for members of Congress, the most useful thing they can do to prepare for Trump’s interference in the 2026 midterms (aside from continuing to oppose the SAVE Act) is to take to the Court of Public Opinion – airwaves, social media, podcasts, Substacks, YouTube, newspapers, magazines, literally wherever will have them – to remind Americans as loudly and as often as possible that OUR ELECTIONS ARE SAFE AND SECURE.
Because it’s true!
And everything Trump is doing with regard to elections is in the service of making our elections less secure.
To wit: He’s making voter data less correct and reliable, making it harder for certain people to vote, and making it easier for him to contest or invalidate results he doesn’t like.
As mentioned above, state attorneys general traditionally lead many election-related lawsuits.
And as Trump and other Republicans are levying unprecedented assaults on the safety and security of our elections, Democratic AGs are going to be the first and last line of defense to protect both voters and votes.
In fact, they’re already doing it.
To date, Dem AGs are 18 - 0 in blocking the Trump administration’s attempt to steal voter rolls from states – rolls that include sensitive personal data like Social Security numbers.
But they’re not stopping there.
Democratic attorneys general regularly convene election protection working groups, and they’ve joined with Democratic secretaries of state to form AGSOS Election Protection Action (and an affiliated PAC to help fund the work), creating a “high-functioning hub” to help coordinate actions across states to protect election results at every level of the ballot.
Additionally, at the end of May, Dem AGs met with some of their SoS counterparts to conduct a massive war game exercise, and they’ve just released a report on some of the lessons they learned.
The Dem AGs and SoSs focused on three core threats:
Interference with state voting systems
Interference with mail voting
Federal presence at polling sites
At this convening, they worked to build “a coordinated strategy that combines rapid legal action, proactive communications, strong operational contingency planning, and trusted state and local partnerships.”
WTF does that mean?
When Trump attempts to deploy armed federal goons at polling places, or seize ballots, or otherwise engage in illegal federal interference, state attorneys general are the ones who will be blocking these antics with injunctions, TROs, and other legalese-y stuff that basically boils down to shutting their asses down.
And yes, they will be ready.
But as the war-game after-action report details, there’s more to it than that.
While legal action is super important, it’s not enough.
Remember when I said members of Congress should be using their bully pulpits more aggressively? This is where they come in.
Communicating to debunk false claims before they spread, respond quickly to misinformation and deepfaked/doctored videos, and amplify trusted local voices is essential to the success of election protection this fall.
Further, voters need easy access to clear instructions about ballot tracking, replacement ballots, polling-place changes, as well as their day-of voting rights.
Voter confusion is the enemy.
The report also flags that some of the major vulnerabilities in this fall’s elections are operational.
Huh?
That means that states and localities must get ready to
Deal with postal disruptions,
Address poll worker shortages,
Manage long lines
Handle voting site disruptions,
Plan for hand counts or alternate voting options,
Navigating inconsistent local law-enforcement responses, and
Staff multiple crises at once.
Democratic secretaries of state are already working with local officials to prepare for as many of these things as they can, but … you can help!
The easiest, most clickable way is to visit Power the Polls and sign up to be a poll worker in your city/town/hamlet/county/municipality/burg!
Other ways to help include contacting your local or state political party or a campaign to volunteer as a poll watcher, voter assistance hotline operator, attorney, or whatever might be needed on election day.
And most basically, make sure folks you know have a plan to vote! Vote 411 is a great resource to learn about what’s on your local ballot, where you vote, check your registration status, and more!
Because our democracy hinges on a simple – but essential – promise:
Every eligible voter must be able to cast a ballot without fear of intimidation or interference, and they must be able to trust that their ballot will be counted.
And that starts with you.
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