Trump Dismantles Federal Election Guardrails to Influence 2026 Midterms

President Donald Trump is implementing a systematic campaign to nationalize and exert control over the 2026 midterm elections by dismantling federal guardrails and installing loyalists within key agencies. The administration has removed at least 75 career officials from the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security, including the near-total removal of the DOJ's Public Integrity Section and the evisceration of election specialists within the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These career professionals have been replaced by appointees, some from the election denial movement, organized into a group called Team America.

To restrict voting access, Trump issued a March 31 executive order targeting mail-in voting and promoted the SAVE America Act to mandate in-person voting and strict citizenship verification. The Department of Justice has also filed lawsuits against approximately 30 states to obtain confidential voter rolls, while the Department of Homeland Security works to create a State Citizenship List.

In a move to target past election results, the administration coordinated an unprecedented FBI raid in Fulton County, Georgia, to seize 2020 election materials after the White House pressured the bureau to investigate debunked claims. The administration maintains these actions are necessary to ensure election security and verify that only American citizens vote.