Experts warn Trump allies may exploit post-midterm counting period to challenge results
Election officials and security experts say the weeks after the 2026 midterm votes are counted could be used by the Trump administration to spread unsubstantiated claims and disrupt certification.
Election specialists cautioned that the period following the 2026 midterm elections, when votes are still being tallied, could become a target for efforts to question or overturn outcomes. Former deputy homeland security adviser Caitlin Durkovich told a briefing hosted by the Brennan Center for Justice that the administration may invoke allegations of foreign interference to justify seizing equipment or ballots after court setbacks.
Durkovich said the “waiting time” after polls close creates conditions for doubt, which can be amplified by both foreign and domestic actors, eroding confidence in the process. Larry Norden, vice-president of the Brennan Center’s elections program, called the potential for manufactured controversy the “biggest threat” and urged voters to use early voting to reduce uncertainty.
Former Election Assistance Commission chair Ben Hovland noted that all states now have live ballots, underscoring the need for courts to consider the timing of any rulings. He added that repeated claims of illegal non-citizen registrations lack supporting evidence and serve to undermine election confidence.
Former deputy director of national intelligence Beth Sanner emphasized that no known foreign government has directly interfered with the technical vote-counting process in recent elections. Meanwhile, former CISA cyber-defense official Geoff Hales said state audits and cybersecurity measures have improved, but federal support for election security has been sharply reduced, limiting resources for information sharing and threat briefings.