State attorneys general step up plans to counter Trump’s meddling in midterms

Key Points:

• Democratic state attorneys general, secretaries of state, and civic groups have intensified coordinated efforts, including weekly calls and tabletop exercises, to prevent federal interference in the November midterm elections amid false claims of widespread voting fraud by Donald Trump.
• The Progressive State Leaders Committee (PSLC) leads these efforts, focusing on countering potential actions by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Trump administration, such as deploying poll monitors and suing states for voter data, which have raised significant concerns among Democrats.
• Trump’s repeated baseless allegations of election fraud, including claims about noncitizen voting and voting-by-mail fraud, have fueled fears of federal meddling, prompting legal challenges and proactive election security planning by state officials.
• Nonpartisan groups like the Democracy Defenders Fund and the Brennan Center for Justice have supported these efforts, highlighting the unprecedented level of preparation by Democratic attorneys general and secretaries of state to safeguard election integrity.
• New organizations, including the AGSOS Election Protection Pac and AGSOS Election Protection Action, have been established to enhance coordination, raise funds, and develop policies aimed at protecting elections from potential federal interference and ballot seizures.