With President Donald Trump’s approval ratings falling and Democrats leading national congressional polling, voting-rights experts are increasingly concerned that the administration could use federal power to influence how the Nov. 3 midterm elections are conducted — or undermine confidence in the results.
A recent Reuters/IPSOS poll placed Trump’s approval rating at 33%, while other polling shows widespread dissatisfaction among independent voters. Democrats currently lead Republicans by roughly seven percentage points in national generic-ballot averages.
Those numbers suggest Democrats could capture the narrowly divided House, although district-level contests will determine control. Winning the Senate remains more difficult because only a portion of its seats are contested.
A Democratic takeover of either chamber could stall Trump’s legislative agenda and give Democrats subpoena power to investigate his administration.
Concerns intensified after Trump issued a March executive order directing the U.S. Postal Service to deliver absentee ballots only for voters appearing on state-approved federal lists.
The order also calls for expanded citizenship verification and threatens federal funding for jurisdictions that do not comply. A federal judge has blocked key provisions while litigation continues.
The Constitution gives state legislatures primary responsibility for setting election procedures, subject to laws passed by Congress. Presidents possess no general authority to rewrite election rules unilaterally.
Trump says his actions are necessary to prevent fraud and protect election integrity. Numerous studies and election officials from both parties have found that voter fraud, including fraud involving mailed ballots, is rare.
The Justice Department is also planning to deploy approximately 1,000 election monitors—a record number—to polling locations. Federal monitoring has a long, bipartisan history under the Voting Rights Act, and the department says its personnel will protect voters and enforce federal law.
Critics question whether an administration that continues to make unsupported fraud allegations can conduct that monitoring impartially.
Election-law scholar Richard L. Hasen, author of “Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to Democracy,” warns that the greatest danger may emerge after voting ends through attempts to seize ballots, pressure election officials or disrupt certification. Such scenarios are not inevitable, Hasen stresses, but safeguards must be prepared before Election Day.
Guest:
Richard L. Hasen is a leading election-law scholar and the author of “Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to Democracy.”
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