Democratic States Prepare for Possible Trump Election Interference

Democratic state attorneys general, election administrators and national security officials are expanding preparations for possible federal interference in the November 2026 midterm elections. The effort, involving coordination calls, in-person emergency exercises and legal challenges, aims to protect election administration as President Donald Trump continues making unsupported claims about widespread voting fraud, according to The Guardian and The Washington Post.

Since early 2026, 24 Democratic attorneys general have strengthened coordination with approximately a dozen Democratic secretaries of state and several civic organizations. The Progressive State Leaders Committee, the public policy arm of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, is organizing weekly Zoom calls and practical exercises to prepare for potential election-related disruptions.

The Washington Post reported on October 20 that a small group of US national security officials has also been discreetly advising state governments and congressional lawmakers about preparations for possible interference by the Trump administration. The report, based on people involved in the effort, did not identify the officials or detail every measure under consideration.

Washington state Attorney General Nick Brown, who chairs the committee's election-protection working group, said the federal government posed a significant concern for officials responsible for administering elections.

"The biggest adversary to a smooth election" was how Brown characterized the Justice Department and the Trump administration, according to The Guardian.

Brown also described the consequences of the president's repeated allegations about election fraud.

"Trump lies about the election on a regular basis. Truth is not a goal of his. That creates a whole host of concerns for us," Brown said.

The coordination exercises have examined scenarios including federal immigration agents appearing near polling places and authorities seizing ballots in particular races. Brown led in-person tabletop exercises in Milwaukee in May and Detroit in September, with participation from state election offices and civic organizations.

Federal actions have intensified those concerns. The Justice Department announced plans during the summer to deploy 1,000 poll monitors, compared with 289 monitors deployed in 2022, according to CBS News. On October 4, the NAACP filed a lawsuit seeking information about how the proposed monitors would be deployed.

The department has also sued 30 states to obtain unredacted voter registration lists containing sensitive personal information. Democratic attorneys general have challenged those cases, and courts have ruled against the department in 26 lawsuits, The Guardian reported.

Harmeet Dhillon, head of the Justice Department's civil rights division, sent letters to state election officials during the summer threatening prosecution if they did not cooperate adequately with efforts to investigate alleged voting fraud, according to The Guardian.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said the administration's actions had prompted state officials to respond to claims about election procedures, including mail voting. Oregon was the first state to adopt an entirely vote-by-mail system, and two Republican secretaries of state in the previous decade had supported the arrangement, Rayfield noted.

"From day one, Trump has been taking dead aim at our elections," Rayfield said.

He also described efforts to counter the administration's public statements about voting procedures.

"We're trying to dispute some of the misinformation that the Trump administration keeps putting out," Rayfield said.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, whose office has participated in the coordination calls and practical exercises, described the expanded cooperation as an effort to prepare election officials for potential federal action.

"An all-hands approach" was how Fontes characterized the growing collaboration, according to The Guardian.

Fontes also expressed concern about the effect of repeated false claims on participation in elections.

"We have an adversary we didn't expect in the form of this administration," Fontes said.

He warned that continued misinformation could discourage people from voting, particularly amid disputes over election security and voting procedures.

"Constant drumbeat of lies is going to suppress the vote," Fontes said.

Nonpartisan organizations are also contributing to the preparations. The Democracy Defenders Fund, States United Democracy Center and Brennan Center for Justice have participated in coordination efforts, including the Milwaukee and Detroit exercises.

Norm Eisen, executive chair of the Democracy Defenders Fund and a former special counsel for ethics and government reform to Barack Obama, praised the preparations by Democratic attorneys general.

"The pro-democracy AGs are preparing for anything that this anti-voter administration may throw at them," Eisen said.

The concerns follow Trump's repeated allegations of widespread noncitizen voting and mail-ballot fraud, including claims made during a televised national address on July 16. The Guardian reported that data cited by the conservative Heritage Foundation identified 100 cases of noncitizen voting over a 25-year period, undercutting claims that the practice represents a widespread crisis.

Trump also told The New York Times that he regretted not deploying the National Guard to seize ballots during the 2020 election, according to The Guardian. At a Republican gathering in Texas the previous month, he urged Republicans to "cheat like hell like they do," the newspaper reported.

The preparations come as states retain primary responsibility for administering elections, while state attorneys general defend election laws in court. The participating officials are coordinating legal responses and contingency plans ahead of the November midterms.