Marc Elias-It's not too late for states and Congress to stop Trump from subverting the midterms

[LetMyPeopleVote]

There are a good number of steps that can and are being taken to protect the midterms

It’s not too late for states and Congress to stop Trump from subverting the midterms. I recently explained three things states can do and four things Congress should insist on in order to protect the 2026 midterm elections. www.democracydocket.com/opinion/its-...

— Marc Elias (@marcelias.bsky.social) 2026-02-11T02:28:57.863Z

https://www.democracydocket.com/opinion/its-not-too-late-for-states-and-congress-to-stop-trump-from-subverting-the-midterms/

Now, with only nine months before the midterm elections, Trump is plotting to prevent Democrats from taking control of Congress. He started by trying to rig congressional maps through midcycle partisan gerrymandering. When that failed, his Department of Justice sought access to state voter files and seized ballots in Fulton County, Georgia. Now he is advocating for a Republican-led federal takeover of elections in blue states.....

Shortly after the 2025 elections, I published a list of seven voting laws every blue state should enact. While I stand by all seven, I want to highlight three:

1. Ban third-party voter challenges and other forms of vigilantism.

States must prohibit anyone — including the federal government — from challenging a person’s voter registration or right to vote. For years, Republicans have compiled private voter databases to challenge voters they want removed from the rolls. Now, the federal government is attempting to do the same. This practice of allowing voter challenges should be banned outright by every blue state.

2. Provide criminal and civil remedies for voter intimidation.

States must enact new laws that provide stronger protections against voter harassment and intimidation. These laws must allow for both civil and criminal remedies and cover a broad range of threats. Federal laws are not broad enough to address current threats. Existing state laws often fail to account for newer intimidation tactics. States need to adopt the broadest measures possible.

3. Revise and strengthen election-certification laws.

We must recognize that the weakest point in our election process is often the post-election counting and certification phase. Blue-state certification laws must be updated with modern language that unambiguously defines certification as a ministerial duty. These laws should allow private parties and state officials to sue to compel certification and impose criminal penalties on election deniers. State courts should also be empowered to certify elections when election officials fail to meet their obligations.

[UTUSN]

1. Except that they won't do it, and presto it'll be too late!