The ACLU is launching a historic $50 million midterm election campaign to counter the Trump administration's efforts to federalize and control local voting processes. The initiative deploys thousands of trained monitors to key battleground states like Georgia and Arizona to oversee ballot counting and certification. Additionally, the ACLU is targeting critical down-ballot races and pursuing over 80 voting rights lawsuits nationwide to protect voter access.
ACLU $50 million midterm program
- ▪Half of the American Civil Liberties Union's $50 million midterm budget will fund efforts to ensure smooth election administration, while the other half will target down-ballot races and ballot measure campaigns
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union will spend more than $50 million on the 2026 midterm election, marking the largest election investment in the organization's history
Trump administration election intervention
- ▪The United States Department of Justice has unsuccessfully sued 30 states and Washington, D.C. for refusing to turn over voter roll data
- ▪President Donald Trump signed Executive Order 14399 on March 31, 2026, directing federal agencies to verify voter citizenship and the Postmaster General to propose uniform standards for mail-in and absentee ballot mail.
- ▪The Federal Bureau of Investigation seized 2020 election materials or records from Arizona and Georgia, and attempted to interview a top election official in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
Election monitoring volunteer deployment
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union has already trained 5,000 people on election work and plans to train an additional 5,000 volunteers
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union plans to train and deploy more than 100 paid staff members and more than 3,000 volunteer leaders to monitor ballot counting and certification
Voter access protection operations
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union will focus the bulk of its election administration investment in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union deployed monitors to seven Georgia counties during the May 2026 primary and plans to expand monitoring to 30 Georgia counties in November 2026
Down-ballot state races strategy
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union plans to intervene in state legislative contests in North Carolina, Montana, Georgia, and Michigan as part of its down-ballot strategy
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union is targeting state Supreme Court races in Montana and North Carolina, and secretary of state contests in Arizona and Nevada
ACLU voting rights litigation
- ▪The American Civil Liberties Union is currently involved in more than 80 lawsuits over voting rights issues across 24 states and Washington, D.C.
- ▪Active American Civil Liberties Union voting rights lawsuits include legal challenges involving redistricting and mail-in balloting limitations
Story comments
Loading comments…