The Trump administration is continuing its aggressive push to overhaul voting rules and seize state election powers, sparking widespread concern among courts, state officials, and Democrats who warn the moves are endangering voting rights and the rule of law.
Former election officials and legal experts say the drive is fuelled by Donald Trump's obsession with his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden, which he baselessly attributes to voter fraud, and his fear of impeachment if Democrats take the House in November's midterms.
The administration has used justice department legal actions, FBI raids, and other federal agencies to pressure states to restrict mail-in voting and change voting machines, despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Critics say this is intimidating election workers and voters before the November elections.
In July, Trump gave a televised speech alleging without proof that US elections are riddled with “hacking, manipulation and corruption”. Democratic governors countered that “no amount of lies and conspiracy theories can change the fact that our country’s elections have repeatedly been proven to be safe and secure.”
The justice department has demanded unredacted voter lists from 30 states and threatened criminal investigations for allowing noncitizens to register. Courts have rejected many of these demands, with judges excoriating the department's actions as “fishing expeditions”. However, voting rights advocates say the tactics are injecting chaos into the electoral process.
