Elections
posted 2025-07 to 2025-09
A reading list (roughly in reverse chronological order) of contributions to the common pool of news/analysis/resources.
— a readers travelogue ::: to bear witness
What to Expect Next in the Trump Administration’s Strategy to Meddle with the Vote
Efforts to protect the coming elections must begin now.
from Brennan Center for Justice
"... we can see the drumbeat of actions that are likely to come: from the spread of misleading claims and reports by federal agencies, to the instigation of spurious investigations and prosecutions, to attempts to meddle with vote counting. Laying out this strategy gives state and local governments, pro-democracy civil society, and voters time to prepare and ensure that we have free and fair elections this November, in 2026, and in 2028.
"Courts — which are responsible for upholding the law and protecting the integrity of our democratic system — should remain skeptical of, and ready to quickly dismiss, unfounded claims targeting election officials, voters, or election equipment, as well as federal efforts to interfere with how state and local governments count votes and run elections under their own laws and practices.
"States must equip local election officials and law enforcement with the tools to understand their rights and obligations in the face of federal interference, including how to respond and coordinate. Election officials must feel that state and local authorities will support their ability to do their jobs in accordance with the law. That may include refusing federal agencies and other non-state actors who make illegal requests for access to election data and equipment.
"Finally, voters must not be afraid to participate. In fact, they must participate in our democracy in every way they can: by joining civic groups, calling and emailing their elected officials, assisting voter registration drives, joining peaceful protests, and signing up to be poll workers. Democracy depends on the people and their belief in elections."
Can Federal Troops Be Stationed At The Polls In 2026?
from Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
"We start tonight with a look at an important law that prohibits the placement of federal troops at the polls in all but the most extreme emergencies. The bottom line: Trump will not be able to deploy federal or federalized troops at polling places, whether in an effort to intimidate voters or to use them to seize voting machines or for other purposes. This law is not a total inoculation from interference by a president who wants to violate citizens’ voting rights, but it’s one important part of a package of legal protections and strategies we’ll be exploring between now and the election, so we can develop a well-rounded awareness of our rights as Americans and voters."
We Have the Momentum Heading into September
from Robert Hubbell
"There are so many stories swirling in the news on the first day of September that it is difficult to hold onto this thought: We have seized the momentum, and nearly all of Trump's outrageous actions are part of a desperate effort to distract attention from his failing presidency.
"He is quickly becoming radioactive to members of Congress staring at mid-term elections in which they must defend their support for Trump. Just ask retiring GOP Senator Joni Ernst. Trump’s favorability ratings reached a second-term low in a poll released just before the Labor Day weekend.
"But here’s the really important point: What happens in Congress in September will be shaped by us! The energy displayed beginning in April must continue and increase!"
Iowa Leads The Way
A special election result stuns the Hawkeye State and carries national implications
from the Status Kuo
"Yesterday, an Iowa state Senate seat flipped from red to blue, with progressive Democrat Catelin Drey trouncing her Republican opponent by 10 points in a special election in Western Iowa. Notably, Trump had won that district by 11 points. That’s a massive 21 point move.
"Republicans have controlled all aspects of Iowa state government for years with no practical ability by Democrats to check their power. Notably, in addition to holding the governorship, the GOP controlled both chambers of the legislature with supermajorities.
"That ended last night. The pick-up win by Drey broke the GOP senate supermajority for the first time in three years. And that has some very real world implications..."
Democrats flip Trump +11 seat in Iowa special election
from Strength in Numbers
"One of the things I promise paying members of this newsletter is day-after updates on key election outcomes. Although it is an off-year, there have been plenty of special elections to write about, all of them suggesting a pretty sizable leftward shift in the electoral environment since November 2024.
"On average in 2025, Democratic candidates in special elections are running about 16 percentage points ahead of Kamala Harris’s margin versus Donald Trump in last year’s presidential election. That is 5-6 points higher than the average Democratic overperformance in 2017."
"This shift (firmly in the territory of a “blue wave”) was repeated on Tuesday, August 26, with a Democratic victory in Iowa’s 1st Senate District — a seat Trump won by 11 points in 2024,.. "Democratic candidate Catelin Drey defeated Republican Christopher Prosch by a margin of 10 percentage points, flipping the seat to the Democratic column and breaking the supermajority that Iowa Republicans had in their state legislature.
"And Drey did it on an agenda of affordability."
Democracy Docket
from Matt Cohen
"Matt is a senior reporter covering elections, voting rights and threats to democracy. He’s covered far-right extremism, dark money and state and local elections as an investigative reporter at The American Independent and Mother Jones. Prior to reporting on politics, Matt cut his teeth as a local reporter in D.C. at the Washington City Paper and DCist."
Election Policy in the Second Trump Administration
from Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
- When:
- Thursday, Sept. 4, 10am–2pm
- Where:
- Virtual via Zoom
"Since taking office again, President Donald Trump has aggressively sought to change U.S. election policy. His executive order mandates proof of citizenship for voter registration, changes the rules governing postmarked ballots, and directs the Election Assistance Commission to rescind voting equipment certification. In addition, the administration has abandoned many of the election security improvements that followed the 2016 and 2020 Russian attempts to influence U.S. elections. Other initiatives like The SAVE Act, memorializing elements of President Trump’s executive order in law, have worried election administrators. This one-day conference, sponsored by the University of Minnesota’s Certificate in Election Administration Program, will explore these issues, the likelihood these policies will be adopted, and the effect they could have on U.S. elections."
2029 — Constitutional Revival: Keep Talking
Preserving minority rights while protecting majority rule
from Matt Kerbel (Wolves and Sheep)
"But like recalibrating the Supreme Court and eliminating the gerrymander, filibuster reform is a necessary but not sufficient condition for implementing a popular progressive agenda. If bold progressive legislation is ever to see the light of day, representatives will have to be incentivized to back programs with popular support that may be opposed by some of their biggest donors.
"That means addressing the elephant in the room. [money]"
Who’s questioning women’s right to vote?
from Minnesota Reformer
"'If you look at the way things played out in the past, we have this very liberal period followed by a conservative backlash,' Marino said. 'And that’s what’s going on now. You have this period of liberalism where people were having a more expansive view of gender ideology, ideas about sexuality and women in politics. We had some pretty prominent female politicians that were making it pretty far in the last couple of years. And now there’s a backlash.' Marino said. 'And that’s what’s going on now. You have this period of liberalism where people were having a more expansive view of gender ideology, ideas about sexuality and women in politics. We had some pretty prominent female politicians that were making it pretty far in the last couple of years. And now there’s a backlash.'"
Outside-Inside Power
from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
"Right now, Republicans are in control of the House, the Senate, and the White House, which means that Democrats do not have control of committees, investigations, or ability to conduct oversight in the congressional sense.
"Now, where I have a departure with some others is that I'm a big believer in building outside power, outside organizing, etc.
"And to me, that means getting creative as a party.
"For example, we don't need Republicans to do hearings — Democrats can call shadow hearings where all Democrats invite a witness, talk about this, etc.
"I did this last year with Jamie Raskin on the Oversight Committee. We conducted a shadow hearing around the corruption in the Supreme Court, which led to my filing articles of impeachment on Justice Alito.
"One thing that I do think our party needs is a vision that's not just anti-Trump.
"This is a position I've long held: We actually need a positive, affirmative vision for this country, and be willing to take risks, and vote on real things, and actually tell people what we're fighting for."
National Voter Registration Day
from a partnership of thousands working on a nonpartisan civic holiday
- When:
- September 16
"In anticipation of over 100,000 state and local elections across the country this year, we’re building the nationwide Partner coalition that will help get America #VoteReady for their next trip to the ballot box."
DNC Chair Ken Martin Rallies With TX and IL Dems in Chicago
To Take on Trump and Republicans’ Corrupt Scheme To Rig the Congressional Maps
from DNC
"Yesterday, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, DNC Chair Ken Martin stood side by side with Texas Democrats and Illinois Democrats, including Illinois Governor JB Pritzker, to take on Donald Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s corrupt plan to discriminate against Texas voters and rig congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterms while exploiting the pain of Texas flood victims. As Texas Republicans ignore the needs of their own constituents to bend the knee to Donald Trump and attempt to rig their congressional maps to cling to their razor-thin majority, Democrats are standing up for Texans and for democracy in America."
Thursday in the park with DNC Chair Ken Martin
from Chop Wood Carry Water
"Thanks to all who joined us 'in the park,' where Ken Martin and I had a frank talk about where the DNC is, what Democrats are doing, and where we need to go next."
Trump is underwater on trade in 40 states
from Strength in Numbers
"This week, Donald Trump put in place a fresh set of tariffs on imports from nearly 70 different countries. The new taxes range from 10 to 41%, and add to the tariffs the president already enacted earlier in his term. Friend of Strength In Numbers Joey Politano calculates that the average good imported into the U.S. now has an 18% tariff attached to it.
"Swing states are strikingly negative on tariffs. My predictive model trained on 4,000 interviews with U.S. adults shows that Trump's approval on trade is just 41% in the average state, whereas 59% disapprove of his job performance in the area. Trump is below 45% in every major battleground state — including Iowa, Texas, and Florida, where Republican senators are running for re-election next year."
You launch a power-grab when you fear your voters
from Ezra Levin — Indivisible
"You launch a power-grab when you fear your voters. Last month, Trump signed into law the most regressive and least popular bill in modern American history which, among other things, cut emergency response services nationwide. That same day, a massive flood hit central Texas, and both the local warning system and the state/federal response were so horrifically inadequate that more than 130 Texans -- including 37 children -- died...
"It's time to fight back. The fight for justice and democracy against an authoritarian force often starts this way. The options are few. The odds are long. It looks dicey. In moments like this, you need leaders with intense strategic clarity. You need someone like a Texas State Representative James Talarico to say: 'We are not fighting for the Democratic Party. We are fighting for the democratic process, and the stakes could not be higher. We have to take a stand.'"
Democrats Refuse to Flinch
from Robert Hubbell
"On Tuesday, US Senator John Cornyn and President Trump threatened to send the FBI to arrest Democratic state legislators who fled the state to break quorum in the Texas legislature. See Texas Public Radio, Donald Trump says FBI 'may have to' get involved in ending Texas quorum break. The threat was blatantly unconstitutional and pathetically desperate. Democrats refused to flinch. Indeed, the threats seemed only to embolden Democratic state legislators.
"As Democratic Texas legislator Texas Rep. Armando Walle said,
"'The price to pay [for breaking quorum] pales in comparison to the rights of everyday people, everyday constituents that we represent proudly. Not scared. Not scared at all. Come and take it.'"
Dems in disarray: DFL revocation of Fateh endorsement polarizes party
from the Minnesota Reformer
"What had been a polarizing election for Minneapolis mayor has exploded into a full-blown political crisis for the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.
"U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar and a group of prominent Minneapolis Democrats Thursday released a statement condemning the state party for revoking the DFL convention endorsement of mayoral candidate Sen. Omar Fateh, who would be the city’s first Somali-American mayor if elected in November.
"'A small group of DFL board members, a majority living outside Minneapolis, met privately to overturn the will of Minneapolis delegates who volunteered, organized, and participated in a months-long DFL process. It is inexcusable to overturn the results weeks after the convention because board members did not like the outcome,' wrote the group, which also comprised state Sens. Zaynab Mohamed and Doron Clark, state Reps. Aisha Gomez, Fue Lee, Mohamud Noor, Sydney Jordan and Esther Agbaje and several members of the City Council and Hennepin County Board."
How to end the forever redistricting wars
from If You Can Keep It
"This week, America’s forever redistricting wars reached a new low — Texas Republicans and the White House are attempting an aggressive, mid-decade redraw of the state’s congressional map to try to keep the GOP in control of the House of Representatives in 2027.
"Most modern democracies don’t have legislative districts represented by only one legislator — which is why most don’t struggle with gerrymandering like we do. Instead, a majority of democracies today use proportional multimember districts (we’ll get back to what this means in a bit), which makes gerrymandering 'prohibitively difficult' in practice, in the words of that same study. Our decision to use single-member districts makes gerrymandering possible in the first place.
"The good news is that our Constitution doesn’t require them."
Move to Amend Coalition
an exciting initiative
"Formed in September 2009, Move to Amend is a coalition of hundreds of organizations and hundreds of thousands of individuals committed to social, environmental and economic justice, ending corporate rule, and building a vibrant democracy that is genuinely accountable to the people, not corporate interests.
"We are calling for the #WeThePeopleAmendment to the US Constitution that unequivocally states that inalienable rights belong to human beings only, and that money is not a form of protected free speech under the First Amendment and shall be regulated in political campaigns."
Zohran Mamdani Shows Democrats How Not to Take the Bait
from the Intercept
"Zohran Mamdani’s shocking victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York City was not just a win over former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, but also over a set of Islamophobic smear tactics that have become all too familiar — and will continue to dog him in the run-up to November."
DOJ Demands Access to Minnesota’s Voter Rolls
from Democracy Docket
"The Minnesota letter, sent to Secretary of State Steve Simon (D) on June 25, asked the state to provide information on HAVA-related questions involving voter registration, voter roll maintenance procedures and the state’s security measures to ensure unauthorized individuals can’t access voter rolls."
It's the States, Stupid
from Democracy Docket
"Much has been written about the attention economy and how Trump makes us more polarized, less informed and, frankly, dumber. But there is another byproduct of focusing on Trump that is far more dangerous to democracy. It allows other Republicans, particularly at the state level, to operate under the radar — with little attention paid to how they are tilting the playing field in their favor for next year’s elections."
To the Field First, Comrades!
from Drop Site News
"The NYC chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America has pulled off another stunning upset through Zohran Mamdani’s campaign. An insider shares DSA’s grassroots strategy"
"To the New York Times, Zohran Mamdani’s insurgent mayoral campaign was “built from nothing in a matter of months.” For the Washington Post, he was “a political upstart with fresh ideas coming out of nowhere.” Even MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, who has covered left-wing movements more than most, told Ezra Klein that Mamdani “genuinely came out of nowhere.”
"What makes these declarations of spontaneous inception so remarkable is not merely that they are wrong, but that they get it entirely backwards. While Mamdani’s ascent may have bypassed the traditional Democratic Party machinery, his campaign didn’t achieve this through individual genius, but through a decade of methodical collective effort."
Three Ways Trump Is Losing the Country
from Wolves and Sheep
"His approval rating is hovering near an all-time low in polling averages on sites like DDHQ, Strength in Numbers and Silver Bulletin. Across the 31 special elections held in 2025, Democrats have outperformed Kamala Harris’s vote share by a mean of 15.4 points, and a median of 13 points. This is a shift that puts states like Ohio, Florida, Alaska, Iowa and Texas into play, given the 2024 margins in those states. As such, it puts the U.S. Senate into play."
Move to Amend: End Corporate Rule. Legalize Democracy.
from Move to Amend
"On January 21, 2010, with its ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the Supreme Court ruled that corporations are persons, entitled by the U.S. Constitution to buy elections and run our government. Human beings are people; corporations are legal fictions.
"We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United and other related cases, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
"The Supreme Court is misguided in principle, and wrong on the law. In a democracy, the people rule"
Taking away your citizenship
from Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance
"Here it is, right on schedule. We’ve moved onto the next phase of the plan, where the Civil Rights Division, the once proud crown jewel of the Justice Department, will participate in stripping naturalized American citizens of their citizenship"
US placed on rights watchlist over health of its civil society under Trump
from The Guardian
"International non-profit Civicus says ‘sustained attacks on civic freedoms' put US on par with El Salvador and Kenya"
"Civicus pointed to three major issues including the deployment of military to quell protests, growing restrictions placed on journalists and civil society, as well as the aggressive targeting of anti-war advocates surrounding Palestine."
Dismantling It All With A Whisper
The Big Picture and Jay Kuo
"The Supreme Court's 'Shadow Docket' is letting the Trump White House burn it all down.
"One of the most historically consequential rulings of the Supreme Court came down yesterday. But you wouldn't know it from the order itself.
"That's because it comes to us again off the Supreme Court's so-called "Shadow Docket," which the radical majority of justices has wielded to horrifying effect. All we get is a decision, without explanation, and we must rely upon the dissent (once more, of the three liberal justices) to try to parse what just happened."