Brennan Center for Justice Preparing for federal interference in the 2026 midterm elections What you need to know to plan and respond.
President Trump has made clear that he intends to use every tool at his disposal to try to influence the outcomes of the 2026 midterm elections. From its earliest days, the Trump administration has attempted to rewrite election rules through executive order, manipulate voter rolls by amassing private voter data, seize 2020 voting materials in order to relitigate repeatedly debunked claims of election fraud, and called for the federal government to “nationalize” election administration.
The good news is that federal and state laws guard against the types of election interference the president has threatened. Most fundamentally, the Constitution gives the president no authority to set election rules; that power belongs to the states and Congress.
And there’s an upside to the administration making its unlawful intentions so clear: we can prepare.
This guide outlines practical steps advocates can take to prepare for federal interference in the 2026 elections. It also walks through four scenarios intended to help advocates better understand the law concerning these emerging issues:
1. New executive orders purporting to regulate elections
