Democrats prepare for possible Trump interference in 2026 midterms
Democratic leaders are conducting extensive scenario planning and legal preparations to counter any attempts by President Trump or his administration to disrupt the 2026 midterm elections.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has convened a series of closed-door meetings with Democratic senators, legal experts and former officials to map out hypothetical actions the Trump administration might take to influence the upcoming midterm elections. Scenarios discussed include the deployment of Department of Homeland Security agents or the National Guard to polling places, seizure of ballots under claims of foreign interference, and the spread of AI-generated videos alleging fraud.
"These sessions didn’t just help us work out how we can thwart some of Trump’s egregious threats. They have been critical in helping us imagine the many twists and turns Trump and his cronies could throw at us, and where gaps in our preparation could potentially exist," Schumer said.
House Representative Joe Morelle, who oversees election-preparation efforts in the House, said his team has identified more than 150 potential threats, ranging from ICE agents appearing at voting sites to misinformation campaigns suggesting changes to polling locations.
"We’re working every day to make sure we’re prepared. You should have confidence that the system works. It’s resilient," Morelle told CNN.
Democrats have established a new Senate election-protection task force, launched a bipartisan observer program to staff polling places, and coordinated with nonpartisan groups to train volunteers for monitoring voting and certification processes. Lawyers are drafting advance pleadings to protect ballot custody and to challenge any unlawful deployment of federal law-enforcement officers at polls.
Representative Pramila Jayapal emphasized the need for rapid legal response, noting that briefs are being prepared in advance so courts can be approached immediately if required.
"We just have to be ready to go to court immediately," she said.
The effort also includes a lawsuit seeking to block the use of ICE or other federal officers at polling locations, despite existing federal statutes that limit such deployments. Former Associate Attorney General Vanita Gupta described the coordination as the largest mobilization of lawyers, organizers and election officials in recent history.
"We can’t have a failure of imagination, given what happened with the Big Lie in 2020," Gupta said.
The ACLU has pledged $25 million to election-safeguarding initiatives, training roughly 10,000 volunteers to monitor activities in key battleground states. Overall, Democratic leaders say the comprehensive planning aims to ensure election integrity and to counter any attempts to undermine the results.