US election officials prepare for disruptions and threats ahead of 2026 midterms

Ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, U.S. state and local election officials across thousands of decentralized jurisdictions are conducting contingency exercises for disruptions, bomb threats, and potential federal interference. While 16 Republican-led states shared voter data with federal agencies, Democratic election chiefs in states like Minnesota, Nevada, and Arizona resisted, prompting federal lawsuits. Voters in 35 states are set to determine who controls election administration in upcoming November contests.

Preparing for potential election disruptions

• ▪In Florence, Arizona, local voting center staff conducted emergency training exercises to establish contingency plans for fires, power outages, bomb threats, and potential federal agent appearances.
• ▪Local and state election officials across the United States are conducting tabletop exercises and preparing for potential operational disruptions and federal interference ahead of the 2026 midterms.

Federal demands for state voter data

• ▪President Donald Trump requested that state officials share sensitive voter registration data with federal agencies upon retaking the White House.
• ▪Democratic secretaries of state including Minnesota's Steve Simon and Nevada's Cisco Aguilar refused federal demands to share sensitive voter data, leading to federal lawsuits.
• ▪Sixteen states with Republican election officials complied with federal requests to share state voter roll information with the Justice Department.

Limits on polling place interference

• ▪Federal law sharply restricts the presence of armed federal agents at polling locations across the United States.
• ▪Law professor Justin Levitt stated that a nationwide campaign of physical voter intimidation is logistically unfeasible across America's nearly 100,000 polling locations.

Elections for state election administrators

• ▪In Arizona, incumbent Democratic Secretary of State Adrian Fontes faces Republican state Representative Alexander Kolodin in the 2026 election.
• ▪Voters in 35 states and Washington, D.C. are deciding directly or indirectly in the November 2026 elections who will manage their state election administration.

Confidence in United States election security

• ▪Legal experts and election administrators expressed confidence that professional election administration across thousands of decentralized jurisdictions will safeguard the integrity of the 2026 midterm elections.
• ▪Democratic election-law expert Bob Bauer stated that the United States election system works more reliably and securely than ever before in American history.

Debatable claims

• ▪Publicizing extreme election disruption scenarios does more harm than good to voter confidence
• ▪State election officials should refuse federal requests to turn over state voter records
• ▪The threat of federal law enforcement at polling sites causes unacceptable voter suppression