Democratic state attorneys general, along with other top state officials and civic groups, have intensified their planning to prevent any federal interference in the upcoming November midterm elections by Donald Trump. This comes as Trump continues to propagate false claims of widespread voting fraud and issues veiled threats regarding the electoral process.

Coordination Efforts

Since the beginning of this year, 24 Democratic attorneys general have expanded their coordination efforts with approximately a dozen Democratic secretaries of state and various civic organizations. These efforts include weekly Zoom calls and in-person tabletop exercises aimed at strategizing against potential federal intervention in the elections. This collaboration is crucial as secretaries of state oversee elections, while state attorneys general are responsible for defending the laws that govern them.

The Progressive State Leaders Committee (PSLC), the public policy arm of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, is spearheading these coordination efforts. The Democratic attorneys general express particular concern about potential interference from the Department of Justice and other branches of the Trump administration, especially given the president's repeated false allegations of rampant voting fraud.

Concerns Over Federal Interference

On his first day in office, Trump falsely labeled the 2020 election as "rigged" and has reiterated similar claims hundreds of times since losing to Joe Biden. Nick Brown, the Washington state attorney general, stated that the justice department and the Trump administration represent "the biggest adversary to a smooth election." He added, "Trump lies about the election on a regular basis. Truth is not a goal of his. That creates a whole host of concerns for us."

In a troubling development, the Department of Justice announced plans to deploy 1,000 poll monitors this summer, prompting the NAACP to file a lawsuit on October 4 seeking details on the deployment of these monitors. In comparison, the justice department deployed only 289 monitors in 2022. Additionally, the justice department has filed lawsuits against 30 states to obtain unredacted voter lists containing sensitive personal information. The Democratic attorneys general have actively challenged these lawsuits, with the justice department losing 26 of the cases that have been ruled on.

Legal Threats and Preparations

This summer, Harmeet Dhillon, head of the justice department’s civil rights division, threatened state election officials with prosecution if they did not adequately cooperate in investigating voting fraud. To counter these threats, Brown has led weekly Zoom calls with PSLC partners, including secretaries of state and key civil society organizations such as the Democracy Defenders Fund, the States United Democracy Center, and the Brennan Center for Justice.