Trump administration takes steps to increase federal oversight of elections ahead of 2026 midterms
President Trump and his appointees have pursued a series of actions, including firing Election Assistance Commission leaders and issuing executive orders, to expand federal control over voting procedures and data ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump is pursuing a series of measures to expand federal authority over U.S. elections before the 2026 midterms. The administration has dismissed the remaining bipartisan members of the Election Assistance Commission, issued executive orders tightening mail-in voting rules, and sought to create a national list of eligible voters. It has also directed the Justice Department and other agencies to request state voter registration files and has sent federal monitors to selected jurisdictions to enforce voting-rights compliance.
The SAVE America Act, a central piece of the administration’s agenda, would require photo identification, proof of citizenship for federal elections and would limit universal mail-in voting. Democrats and voting-rights groups argue the bill could disenfranchise large numbers of voters and note that it has stalled in the Senate due to opposition and filibuster constraints.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized the commission firings as a “brazen attempt to seize control of our elections,” while Democratic Representative Daniel Goldman called the effort “a blatant effort … to eradicate safeguards of free and fair elections.” The Justice Department has sued multiple states to obtain voter rolls, but courts have blocked key provisions, including the creation of a national voter database.
Trump has defended the actions as necessary to prevent alleged fraud, repeatedly claiming without evidence that Democrats would cheat in the upcoming elections. Critics say the moves represent an unprecedented use of federal power to influence state-run election administration.