Election Officials Prepare for Federal Interference Amidst 2026 Midterm Concerns

Key Quotes

"State and local election officials used to whisper about their concerns now they are openly preparing for the possibility that the federal government could try to interfere with the midterm elections next November."

Miles Parks, who covers voting, explains that election officials have moved from private discussions to active preparation regarding potential federal interference in upcoming midterm elections. This shift indicates a heightened level of concern and a proactive approach to safeguarding the electoral process.

"Honestly anything and everything, which I think is so interesting Tam. I've been talking to election officials all year obviously and it went from this whisper earlier in the year to now active preparation and one secretary of state a democrat told me that he compared it to preparing for a natural disaster like a hurricane or a big snowstorm that basically you have to hope for the best but prepare for the worst."

Miles Parks highlights the broad range of scenarios election officials are preparing for, noting that their concerns have escalated from quiet discussions to concrete planning. Parks relays that one Democratic secretary of state likened this preparation to anticipating a natural disaster, emphasizing the need to be ready for the most severe possibilities.

"The constitution gives the president essentially no power over elections but we've seen time and time again that president trump likes to push those boundaries and so you know this year we've seen him put out an executive order that's mostly been blocked by the courts trying to exert that control."

Domenico Montanaro points out that while the U.S. Constitution grants the president no direct authority over elections, President Trump has repeatedly attempted to expand presidential influence. Montanaro cites an executive order, largely unsuccessful due to court challenges, as an example of these efforts to assert control.

"I mean thinking about the national guard or ice in particular in the way that they've used uh customs and border protection officers to go and try and arrest people or detain people in what have been really sort of provocative um and at times violent ways I can't imagine being in line at a polling place and seeing someone tackled."

Miles Parks expresses concern about the potential use of the National Guard or immigration enforcement at polling places, drawing parallels to past actions by Customs and Border Protection officers. Parks conveys that the presence of such forces could create a climate of fear and intimidation for voters.

"The idea that elections are stolen you need that to be true or people to think that's true to be able to justify changes to future elections so when we think about all the different changes that he wants to make to the election system in the United States you kind of need the premise to be there is some deep problem here."

Domenico Montanaro explains that the narrative of stolen elections is crucial for justifying proposed changes to the U.S. election system. Montanaro argues that the belief in widespread election fraud is necessary to create a premise for implementing significant alterations to how elections are conducted.

"I think that is why people are so freaked out about the midterms when you think about these congressional races where often every year almost there are some of these tight congressional races that are decided by these few hundred vote margins I think the potential for messing with the process to interfere with the outcome is just a lot more in play."

Miles Parks articulates that the close margins in many congressional races contribute to anxiety about the upcoming midterms. Parks suggests that when elections are decided by a small number of votes, the possibility of manipulating the process to alter the outcome becomes a more significant concern.