Trumpian Voter Suppression

What to Do About It

The election last month demonstrated that Democrats are on a course to take back the House and perhaps even the Senate. But for that to happen, there must be free and fair elections in November 2026. Trump and MAGA World know they can’t win a fair fight, so we must assume they will do everything in their power to subvert the elections. We wrote last month about unprecedented Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps before the next census.

But they have other tricks up their sleeves—and there are things we can do about it. Here we will explore other ways Trump and his minions may try to steal the election.

Suppression Efforts Before the Election

There are three stages to their voting suppression campaign. First there are those efforts they are doing now – in advance of the election. It starts with voter registration. Even though there is little evidence of voter fraud, over the years they have campaigned to make it harder to register. For example, Republicans have often tried to limit registration to those possessing photo ID such as a driver’s license, even though many people otherwise qualified to vote don’t have one. And in March of this year, Trump issued an executive order requiring proof of citizenship in the form of a passport or comparable document. In October a federal court declared this order invalid. But given the Supreme Court’s record of siding with the administration, no one can be confident that this ruling will stand.

Another Republican pre-election ploy is to strike voters from the rolls. Republicans have been doing this for years, targeting Democrats in key states and districts. Now the federal government is actively helping this effort. The Justice Department recently sued several states, including California, New York, and Pennsylvania, to turn over their voter rolls. The Justice Department’s justification is that the voter rolls should be “clean.” What that really means is “clean of as many Democratic voters as possible.” This effort to impose federal regulations on elections is ironic given that in the past, Republicans have resisted congressional efforts to improve election security.

Suppression Efforts on Election Day

The second stage of their campaign is to suppress votes on election day itself by making it harder to vote. One example is limiting the number of voting stations in precincts with large numbers of Democrats. This is designed to produce long lines at the polls and thereby deter voting. The success of this strategy can be seen in infamous images of long lines at the polls. To add insult to injury, Republicans in some states have made it a crime to offer food and water to those waiting to vote.

And then there’s outright intimidation of voters. The Brennan Center has identified the following methods, all of which have been documented in recent years:

Blockading, following, menacing, or shouting at voters and volunteers.
Intimidation by poll watchers, poll workers, door-to-door canvassers, and law enforcement officers, and through online or telephonic targeting and mass voter challenges.
The wielding of guns at polling places.
Harassing election workers and sometimes their families both online and in person.

For example, in 2022, right-wing extremists in Arizona planning to watch drop boxes put out a video saying, “We know where you are. You see us every day and you better believe we are watching you. Don’t sleep too soundly. That noise you hear might be one of us.”

The danger of voter intimidation is compounded by the fact that those engaging in such intimidation know that Trump has their back because he has pardoned many who were convicted of election-related crimes undertaken on his behalf. After all, he pardoned all the January 6 rioters, including those who were convicted of committing violent acts. And just a few weeks ago, Trump pardoned Rudolph Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, and many others who engaged in illegal conduct designed to steal the 2020 presidential election.

Suppression Efforts After the Election

The third stage of their suppression efforts take place after election day. For example, after every election Trump and the Republicans file frivolous lawsuits aimed at reversing legitimate Democratic wins. Trump filed scores of such lawsuits in 2020, virtually all of which he lost. Undoubtedly he’ll do the same in 2026.

In 2020, Trump, egged on by Michael Flynn, seriously considered sending in the military to seize voting machines but he was talked out of it by cooler heads. This is the same Michael Flynn who urged Trump to declare martial law to force new elections in states Trump lost. Those cooler heads no longer exist in this administration.

Trump has a history of trying to stop the count of mail-in ballots. He tried in 2020 and 2024. If he should try again in 2026, he may be aided by the Supreme Court, which just last week agreed to hear a case involving the legitimacy of counting mail-in ballots cast by election day but received afterwards.

The truth is we just don’t know what Trump will try in 2026. After all, this is the man who asked Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” 11,780 votes (that case was just dimissed), and who threatened to withhold arms from Ukraine if President Zelensky didn’t produce damaging evidence against his main political rival.

As David Graham of the Atlantic put it: “If anything, when it comes to 2026, I worry more about the limits of my imagination than about the hazards of speculation.” We cannot put anything past Donald Trump.

At this juncture, the best way to combat voter suppression is to support groups that are fighting it in court and preparing to stop abuses on short notice. (See below for our recommendations). We often overlook such allies in our political fundraising. That is a mistake and now is the time to make sure they have the financial support needed to help assure that our get-out-the-vote efforts are not thwarted by illegal shenanigans.

And for those able and willing, becoming poll monitors could help immensely. Your local Democratic party can help get you organized and trained. The state parties also need lawyers to work its war rooms on election day. And of course, voting in overwhelming numbers is a proven method for combatting voter suppression.

What To Do About It.

The election last month demonstrated that Democrats are on a course to take back the House and perhaps even the Senate. But for that to happen, there must be free and fair elections in November 2026. Trump and MAGA World know they can’t win a fair fight, so we must assume they will do everything in their power to subvert the elections. We wrote last month about unprecedented Republican efforts to redraw congressional maps before the next census.

But they have other tricks up their sleeves—and there are things we can do about it. Here we will explore other ways Trump and his minions may try to steal the election.

Suppression Efforts Before the Election

There are three stages to their voting suppression campaign. First there are those efforts they are doing now – in advance of the election. It starts with voter registration. Even though there is little evidence of voter fraud, over the years they have campaigned to make it harder to register. For example, Republicans have often tried to limit registration to those possessing photo ID such as a driver’s license, even though many people otherwise qualified to vote don’t have one. And in March of this year, Trump issued an executive order requiring proof of citizenship in the form of a passport or comparable document. In October a federal court declared this order invalid. But given the Supreme Court’s record of siding with the administration, no one can be confident that this ruling will stand.

Another Republican pre-election ploy is to strike voters from the rolls. Republicans have been doing this for years, targeting Democrats in key states and districts. Now the federal government is actively helping this effort. The Justice Department recently sued several states, including California, New York, and Pennsylvania, to turn over their voter rolls. The Justice Department’s justification is that the voter rolls should be “clean.” What that really means is “clean of as many Democratic voters as possible.” This effort to impose federal regulations on elections is ironic given that in the past, Republicans have resisted congressional efforts to improve election security.

Suppression Efforts on Election Day

The second stage of their campaign is to suppress votes on election day itself by making it harder to vote. One example is limiting the number of voting stations in precincts with large numbers of Democrats. This is designed to produce long lines at the polls and thereby deter voting. The success of this strategy can be seen in infamous images of long lines at the polls. To add insult to injury, Republicans in some states have made it a crime to offer food and water to those waiting to vote.

And then there’s outright intimidation of voters. The Brennan Center has identified the following methods, all of which have been documented in recent years:

Blockading, following, menacing, or shouting at voters and volunteers.
Intimidation by poll watchers, poll workers, door-to-door canvassers, and law enforcement officers, and through online or telephonic targeting and mass voter challenges.
The wielding of guns at polling places.
Harassing election workers and sometimes their families both online and in person.

For example, in 2022, right-wing extremists in Arizona planning to watch drop boxes put out a video saying, “We know where you are. You see us every day and you better believe we are watching you. Don’t sleep too soundly. That noise you hear might be one of us.”

The danger of voter intimidation is compounded by the fact that those engaging in such intimidation know that Trump has their back because he has pardoned many who were convicted of election-related crimes undertaken on his behalf. After all, he pardoned all the January 6 rioters, including those who were convicted of committing violent acts. And just a few weeks ago, Trump pardoned Rudolph Giuliani, John Eastman, Sidney Powell, and many others who engaged in illegal conduct designed to steal the 2020 presidential election.

Suppression Efforts After the Election

The third stage of their suppression efforts take place after election day. For example, after every election Trump and the Republicans file frivolous lawsuits aimed at reversing legitimate Democratic wins. Trump filed scores of such lawsuits in 2020, virtually all of which he lost. Undoubtedly he’ll do the same in 2026.

In 2020, Trump, egged on by Michael Flynn, seriously considered sending in the military to seize voting machines but he was talked out of it by cooler heads. This is the same Michael Flynn who urged Trump to declare martial law to force new elections in states Trump lost. Those cooler heads no longer exist in this administration.

Trump has a history of trying to stop the count of mail-in ballots. He tried in 2020 and 2024. If he should try again in 2026, he may be aided by the Supreme Court, which just last week agreed to hear a case involving the legitimacy of counting mail-in ballots cast by election day but received afterwards.

The truth is we just don’t know what Trump will try in 2026. After all, this is the man who asked Georgia’s secretary of state to “find” 11,780 votes (that case was just dimissed), and who threatened to withhold arms from Ukraine if President Zelensky didn’t produce damaging evidence against his main political rival.

As David Graham of the Atlantic put it: “If anything, when it comes to 2026, I worry more about the limits of my imagination than about the hazards of speculation.” We cannot put anything past Donald Trump.

At this juncture, the best way to combat voter suppression is to support groups that are fighting it in court and preparing to stop abuses on short notice. (See below for our recommendations). We often overlook such allies in our political fundraising. That is a mistake and now is the time to make sure they have the financial support needed to help assure that our get-out-the-vote efforts are not thwarted by illegal shenanigans.

And for those able and willing, becoming poll monitors could help immensely. Your local Democratic party can help get you organized and trained. The state parties also need lawyers to work its war rooms on election day. And of course, voting in overwhelming numbers is a proven method for combatting voter suppression.