We’re in the Fight Now for Fair Midterm Voting & Elections – Join Us
By Jo-Ann Johnston
Anticipation is building for the November midterm elections. It can feel like waiting for that restorative rainstorm that finally arrives after a years-long drought. It’s as if, by hanging on for several more months, our thirst for normalcy will finally be rewarded with the chance to eject the Congressional representatives who let an authoritarian-style president maul our democracy. And then we can slip back into our old lives, easily and tidily.
It’s nice to hope that, but it isn’t realistic. The current administration and its allies have been pushing forward with ways to restrict voting and safeguard a continued Trump 2.0 regime.
To build the inclusive democracy we want, our Project 2029 Pillars urges us to “uphold robust protections of voting rights, transparent elections, and active representation of diverse communities in decision-making processes.”
It’s time for that now. Here are some of the threats on our radar.
The SAVE America Act
The federal government, working through Congress, wants passage of the so-called SAVE (Safeguard American Voter Eligibility) America Act. This is the bill you’ve heard about that has passed the House, and as of April 23, was still in the Senate and had not yet come up for vote. Republicans justify the bill’s need by saying its provisions will prevent voter fraud — which barely exists at all.
Ironically, those requirements amount to examples of overreach that conservatives usually say they want to eliminate: financial burdens and bureaucracy to get the documentation, which was previously unnecessary. Americans would have to comply, though, to register to vote in federal elections, or re-register.1
The Brennan Center for Justice estimates 21 million Americans in a variety of different circumstances would be burdened by this bill, if passed.
The bill also undermines the authority of the states and Congress to run elections, which is established in the U.S. Constitution
Other executive branch-level actions
The president ordered the U.S. Postal Service to not deliver mail-in ballots sent by people the federal government contends should not be voting — because their names are not on a newly created list of who is eligible to vote. How the list will be compiled is complicated.
The Department of Homeland Security would assemble the list using information from the Social Security Administration and other federal databases on residents in each state, and then send the list to each state’s top election official.
States could update the lists and make changes on their own timetable.
When a voter completes his or her mail-in ballot, the Postal Service would be responsible to check if that person is on the approved voter list. If not, the Postal Service would then be expected to refrain from forwarding ballots which were sent by any voter who is not on the approved list.
The very idea of this federal government creating a list of who can vote should raise alarms for every American! It could be impossible to arrange the necessary process before the midterms, and voters could be disenfranchised in the process.2
This would also undermine the authority of states to conduct elections. The order is being challenged in court.
The executive branch asked the U.S. Supreme Court, in Louisiana vs. Callais, to weaken a section of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 that protects diverse representation of elected officials. The court decision, expected in June, could widely limit diversity in government if it upholds the executive branch. If so, we must demand Congress come back with new and corrective fair voting legislation.
State-level or other actions that can trip up voters
There has also been a trend among states to narrow the forms and types of personal identification required at regular polling places, and to constrict other voting options, too. The changes create a voting system that is confusing to navigate and expensive for individuals to comply with. These efforts have been underway for more than a decade.
In a new wrinkle, some states are looking at ways of adopting elements of the proposed federal SAVE legislation mentioned above into their own election laws, adding to potential hassles for voters. In some states, such changes do not have to be approved by voters before going into effect.
State legislators have used the brazen practice of gerrymandering, or redrawing voting districts to preserve one party’s majority. Both major parties have done this. Within a fair system, population numbers and voters’ rights should determine the boundaries of districts. In the long term, then, that must be our goal.
Turnout at the midterms could be at risk for would-be voters if these attempts to restrict voting rights are not counteracted or defeated by voters who can safeguard their own votes.
Well before October, consult with reliable advocate groups like VoteRiders.org or the state and regional chapters of the League of Women Voters; and Vote.org, especially for answers to your most specific questions.
You can also help others become prepared by sharing reliable information that you learn from trusted community members and coalitions.
For more inspiration, read our Pillars page.
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1 . Multiple sources, including Vote.org. Proof of U.S. citizenship could be established with a passport (currently $165), a birth certificate and some form of photo ID (together), a naturalization certificate, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad. People would be typically required to show these in person, mostly eliminating mail-in or online registration options. Also, a photo ID would be required on Election Day, with the requirement more stringent than most states set, creating a possible source of confusion.
2. Brennan Center for Justice, April 8, 2026.
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