How Trump and His Allies Are Working to Depress Turnout, Immediate Voters and Steal the 2026 Election

"Earlier this month, the House passed the SAVE America Act, which threatens to block millions from voting in November. It's just one salvo in a multipronged Republican effort to undermine the midterms and lay the groundwork for a new round of 2020-style election denialism should Democrats win Congress. From the flurry of Trump-instigated redistricting efforts to the new FCC guidance that spurred CBS to pull Stephen Colbert's interview with Texas Senate hopeful James Talarico, Trump and his allies are using every tool at their disposal to depress turnout, intimidate voters, and unjustly tilt the electoral balance towards Republicans."

"Last spring, election-denier Pam Bondi's Department of Justice began requesting confidential voter registration data from states and jurisdictions around the country-and suing those that refuse to comply. The information the agency collects is being shared with the Department of Homeland Security, which has launched its own effort to investigate naturalized Americans accused of voting before gaining their citizenship."

"If approved by the Senate, the SAVE America Act could be this administration's most devastating blow yet to voter participation. The bill would require states to share their voter data with DHS, along with forcing Americans to furnish a photo ID at the polls and produce proof of citizenship before registering to vote."

Trump's second term includes coordinated efforts to undermine democratic processes through procedural mechanisms rather than overt force. The House passed the SAVE America Act, which would block millions from voting by requiring voter data sharing with DHS, photo ID at polls, and citizenship proof for registration. The Department of Justice has requested confidential voter registration data from states, with information shared to DHS for investigating naturalized citizens. Additional tactics include redistricting efforts, media intimidation, and calls to centralize voting control. These measures aim to suppress turnout, intimidate voters, and create conditions for election denialism if Democrats win, representing systematic threats to electoral integrity.

Read at The Nation