A running record of material that has appeared in our spotlight on free and fair elections.
June 26, 2026
Here’s a very accessible explication of how Trump is trying to use the USPS to control voting in the midterms, how unconstitutional it is, why we can’t count on the Roberts Court to respect that obvious point, and how much power states clearly have to run elections as they choose to and therefore to circumvent Trump and any rulings from the corrupt Supreme Court. Note Josh Marshall’s name for states who fight the Trump regime: Free States.
On June 25, a Massachussets District Court blocked Trump's effort to compile a national voter file and limit mail-in voting by Executive Order. (EO) The opinion is worth reading in full. Judge Indira Talwani ruled that Trump has no legal authority to order the things he has and that his attempt violates Constitutionally mandated separation of powers . Nevertheless, we can't celebrate yet, as Democracy Docket explains. The Trump regime plans to appeal Talwani's decision. And the various agencies under Trump's control cannot be trusted to respect the injunctions Talwani issued to halt the implementation of Trump's unlawful EO.
June 17, 2026
- New reporting from Source NM: "Local election officials reel over ‘logistical nightmare’ of Trump’s vote-by-mail order." Officials from across the country are grappling with Trump's steps to interfere with the upcoming general election. Katharine Clark, Santa Fe County Clerk, is among a group that has submitted a brief in ongoing litigation to block the order.
- It isn't just Trump. The Department of Justice is investigating and suing states and local governments and election officials. Learn more:
- Experts foresee DOJ trying to taking over polling place and seizing ballots during the upcoming general elections. Just Security explains.
- Democracy Docket alerts us to lawsuits filed by the Department of Justice that "signal[] its intention to cancel registrations across the nation in the days leading up to the midterm elections in November."
- Even though nine federal courts have already rejected efforts by the DOJ to obtain unredacted voter records, the DOJ is still trying. They are appealing a Wisconsin District Court decision on the issue to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, as reported by Wisconsin Public Radio.
- Jamelle Bouie has a powerful analysis of how Trump's and other Republicans' clearly false claims of fraud function to assert white supremacy and eliminate democracy in the United States.
