Democratic senators are preparing for potential federal intervention in the upcoming midterm elections, meeting to strategize against possible disruptions by Donald Trump according to reporting from MS NOW. The planning follows warnings from election lawyers and local officials who cite false claims made about the 2020 vote and subsequent legal challenges as precedent for future interference.
### Democratic Senators Prepare for Midterm Scenarios
Senators gathered last week to map out responses to worst-case scenarios ahead of the November midterms, according to MS NOW. Lawmakers reportedly fear actions such as the seizure of voter registration rolls or voting machines, alongside the potential deployment of federal law enforcement to polling places to deter voters.
Marc Elias, a veteran Democratic election lawyer, told MS NOW that preparations are necessary because of prior actions surrounding the 2020 election.
“What we are doing is preparing after Donald Trump lied in advance about the 2020 election, lied about it afterward, took it to the legal system, and then he started a violent insurrection in that building,” Elias said, referencing the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol. “So I think we have to take these threats to the 2026 midterms seriously and literally.”
### Wisconsin Election Officials Face Security Challenges
Scott McDonell, the Democratic clerk in Dane County, Wisconsin, which encompasses the state capital of Madison, dealt directly with election challenges during the 2020 cycle. He described recounts taking place while Trump supporters traveled to the area from across the country.
“We didn’t know it at the time, but they were planning to send fake electors and pretend Trump had won Wisconsin and a few other states,” McDonell told Dagbladet. “Most of us didn’t believe that was possible, but then January 6 happened.”
Recent polls indicate Republicans trail ahead of the midterms, risking control of both the House of Representatives and the Senate. McDonell suggested that this political vulnerability drives preemptive claims of fraud.
“They’re building up an excuse that if they lose, it’s due to voter fraud,” McDonell said. “That’s how they try to minimize the damage. In addition, they’re trying to push the margins a bit by trying to reduce the number of early votes and by trying to get fewer people to show up to vote.”
Despite the challenging climate, McDonell expressed confidence in executing a fair election, noting that federal interference attempts have largely been blocked by the courts. Election offices nationwide have faced hurdles recruiting poll workers due to fears of harassment, though McDonell reported the opposite trend locally.
“Here I think it has had the opposite effect. People have decided to make sure democracy works. We won’t let ourselves be bullied,” he said.
Dane County officials are also preparing for potential actions by the Trump administration, such as deploying FBI or Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to polling locations or intercepting mail-in ballots via the U.S. Postal Service. McDonell noted that FBI agents appeared in Milwaukee in 2020 to interview election workers, prompting local offices to secure legal backing and spend funds to protect voting machines and facilities.
### Legal Scholars Weigh Presidential Authority
Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, expressed deep concern regarding the administration’s approach to election rules.
“I don’t think Donald Trump wants a free and fair election. He is doing everything he can to try to change the rules in a way he thinks is to his advantage whether it’s limiting the ability to vote by mail or changing the voting machines being used,” Hasen told Dagbladet.
However, Hasen emphasized that a president’s actual authority over elections is constrained.
“Unlike most democracies, there is not a national governance of elections,” Hasen explained. “Congress has the power under the Constitution to pass laws regarding federal elections, but the president does not have a real role here.”
Hasen noted that executive orders issued by Trump are frequently halted in the court system. Still, he pointed to the post-2020 period as evidence of unprecedented, coordinated efforts to alter Electoral College outcomes. He assesses that post-voting interference remains more probable than pre-election disruptions.
“He will get a very negative backlash if he intervenes before people get to vote,” Hasen said. “Therefore, I think it is more likely that he will try to influence afterward when votes are counted and certified. Maybe he even tries to influence how Congress decides who won close elections.”
Trump addressed election security in a televised speech on July 16, asserting that the “deep state” influenced elections during his presidency while presenting information that critics argue does not demonstrate illegal tampering.
“Our purpose in presenting this information is not to weaken confidence in elections, but to build confidence by confronting weaknesses and fixing them very, very quickly,” Trump said, according to USA Today.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the U.S. President cancel or postpone a national election?
No. According to election law experts like UC Los Angeles professor Rick Hasen, the president has no constitutional authority to cancel or postpone elections, which are managed at the state level.
How are local election offices preparing for midterms?
In counties like Dane County, Wisconsin, election officials are training staff to handle security threats, protecting voting machines, ensuring paper ballots are utilized, and securing legal backing against potential federal interference.
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