Trump Uses Federal Agencies to Restrict Midterm Voting

President Donald Trump is utilizing federal agencies and proposed legislation to reshape election procedures for the 2026 midterm elections. Central to this strategy is the SAVE America Act, which would mandate voter identification, require in-person proof of citizenship for registration, and sharply limit mail-in voting. While the House has passed the measure, it remains stalled in the Senate. Trump has characterized a Supreme Court ruling that allows states to count late-arriving postmarked ballots as detrimental to honest elections.

To enforce these priorities, the administration is leveraging the Justice Department to sue states for unredacted voter rolls and directing the Department of Homeland Security to compile citizenship lists. Postmaster General David Steiner has indicated the Postal Service may withhold mail-in ballot delivery in states that refuse to surrender voter rolls. Additionally, Trump has installed allies in key roles, including FBI Director Kash Patel and Secretary of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, while dismantling election security infrastructure and reducing voting-rights staffing at the Justice Department.

Beyond administrative changes, the administration has encouraged mid-decade redistricting in states like Texas, North Carolina, and Missouri to benefit Republicans. Trump has also allegedly linked disaster aid for Democratic-led swing states to the success of his preferred candidates. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended these policies as necessary to ensure confidence in election administration, while critics and Democrats describe the efforts as an unprecedented power grab designed to disenfranchise millions of voters.