Their Game Is Afoot -- Tom Sullivan

[erronis]

https://digbysblog.net/2026/04/14/their-game-is-afoot/

Remain vigilant

ProPublica identified at least 75 people across multiple government agencies who worked to safeguard the 2020 election results against Donald Trump's "stolen election" narrative:

The people we identified as resisting attempts to overturn the 2020 results have been replaced by roughly two dozen people Trump has installed in positions that could affect elections. Ten of them actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote, and the rest are associates of such people. In some cases, ProPublica found, officials have been hired from activist groups that are pillars of the election denial movement. Experts warn that shows the movement has merged with the federal government.

These new officials could influence how Trump reacts to the upcoming midterms as polling shows Republicans are approaching what could be a significant electoral loss, with the president's approval rating nearing record lows, and public concern growing about the weak economy, the administration's mass deportation effort and the war on Iran. Seemingly in preparation to head off such a blow, Trump has stepped up his efforts to "nationalize" the 2026 elections, saying that Republicans need "to take over" the midterms. Democrats who monitored Trump's attempts to block his 2020 loss have begun to question whether he will allow a "blue wave," particularly if it flips control of a House of Representatives that impeached him twice in his first term.

ProPublica's examination reveals new details on how the president has unleashed his loyalists to transform elections. This includes the background of this year's FBI raid in Georgia to seize 2020 election materials and how they are using federal resources to search for noncitizens voting. Ultimately, ProPublica's reporting shows how thoroughly and expansively the Trump administration has overhauled the federal government into what some fear is a vehicle for making sure elections go his way.

We are heading into cornered animal territory. Don't think otherwise.

Experts say 2026 will serve as an unprecedented stress test of the integrity of American elections.

"Our election system withstood" Trump's "attacks following the 2020 election," said Sen. Alex Padilla, a California Democrat who has led the pushback to the administration's actions on elections, "but this will be an even tougher test, with more election deniers having access to federal power than ever before."

Treat this as real. Be vigilant. Attend regular meetings at your local Board of Elections to keep an eye on possible subterfuge.

ProPublica isn't the only outlet keeping watch. Here are a couple from Democracy Docket:

Election-denying GOP lawmaker, anti-voting group target New York's voter registration system

Election deniers in Trump admin pushing 'more powerful tool' to probe voter rolls, report finds

[Eko]

1. K&R

[pecosbob]

2. Mating season for rats...

[malaise]

3. Important

K & R

[Cherrycheeks]

4. Kick..

[summer_in_TX]

5. We know what Trump plans? Do we know any steps we can take to protect our elections?

THE EXISTENTIALIST REPUBLIC
[link:THE EXISTENTIALIST REPUBLIC
What You Do About The Despair.|What You Do About The Despair.]

Protect the 2026 Election Before It Happens

The 2026 midterm election and races for offices across the country are seven and a half months away. A law redirecting federal tax withholdings tells a federal government determined to end free and fair elections exactly what it will cost them. It makes clear that if they sever the constitutional bonds in an extreme enough fashion, there will be an immediate, appropriate, and proportionate response. It passes the legislature now, sits on the books, and fires automatically the moment the federal government crosses a defined line. The full legal framework for the trigger law is in the free Tax Warfare ebook at buymeacoffee.com/theer/e/485448, along with an entire array of individual, private, and public tax-based responses: what you can do with your own taxes, what businesses can do, and what governments at every level can do to fight back through the tax system.

Someone will tell you that redirecting federal tax revenue is illegal. Sure. So is sending ICE agents to polling places. So is refusing to certify an election your side lost. So is nullifying results you don’t like. The people aiming at our elections are not waiting for legal permission, and the question worth asking is not whether our response is tidy; it is what we plan to do if they succeed. A trigger law is that plan, written into statute before November arrives. The moment they cross the line they are already moving toward, the law fires. The legal challenge to the tax redirection and the financial pressure on the federal government land at the same time. We do not scramble. We do not negotiate. We tell them now, in writing, what happens the moment they follow through. That is not a threat. That is a law.

Call your governor, your state representative, and your state senator and say this:

“I am calling to urge you and the legislature to introduce trigger legislation before the 2026 election. This legislation should order all employers to redirect all federal tax revenue in the event of the federal government interfering with our state’s election administration or refusing to certify our legitimate election results. We need this protection in place now, not after our elections are stolen.”

Christopher Armitage and a whole online and irl community are working in overdrive to get these and other specific ways to counter the fascist takeover in front of state legislators, crafting model legislation tailored for particular states. They're doing the research and scripts to ask state AG's to investigate and file state criminal charges against Trump officials for laws broken in their states.

Brilliant stuff, just brilliant. Using the sovereign power of states to shut down federal overreach and authoritarian takeover.

[Danascot]

6. Here's a link to the Existentialist Republic

https://cmarmitage.substack.com/p/what-you-do-about-the-despair

This would make a good OP on its own. I would hope it could be more widely circulated.

[erronis]

7. The link to your excerpt is https://medium.com/@carmitage/what-you-do-about-the-despair-242bac971ebc

Thanks.

https://medium.com/@carmitage/what-you-do-about-the-despair-242bac971ebc

Chris Armitage's substack: https://cmarmitage.substack.com/