Democratic states scramble to prevent potential Trump administration interference in their elections
Source: CNN Politics
PUBLISHED Jun 20, 2026, 6:30 AM ET
Democratic-led states are racing to safeguard November’s midterm elections against potential interference from the Trump administration and its allies, passing new laws that restrict the presence of law enforcement at polling places or seek to thwart the federal government’s efforts to obtain sensitive election material.
Five states – California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland and Washington state — have recently enacted legislation to shield their elections from federal actions, according to the Voting Rights Lab, which tracks election-related legislation, and CNN’s research.
Sponsors say they are responding to President Donald Trump’s continued rhetoric about fraud in voting and the administration’s increasingly aggressive moves to reshape how voting is conducted. The US Constitution gives states the primary task of running elections and Congress the power to set the ground rules for federal contests.
“It’s infuriating that the Trump administration believes they can ignore the Constitution of the United States and try to take over our elections,” said Maryland state Sen. Cynthia Kagan, a Democrat who co-sponsored a new law aimed at maintaining the state’s deadline for counting mail-in ballots that are received after Election Day. Since returning to the White House last year, the president has repeatedly tried to single handedly change election procedures as his attempts to muscle through new voting restrictions have faltered in Congress.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/20/politics/democratic-states-federal-elections-trump-administration
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