Trump's New Threats to American Elections

"With nine months to go until the midterm elections, President Trump's campaign to subvert them is escalating. His administration has recently taken a series of steps that have election officials, observers, and administrators deeply and rightfully concerned about the prospects for improper interference with the election process. In October, I published an in-depth article on how the president could interfere (and already was interfering) with the midterm elections. Since then, the reasons for worry have become more urgent."

"In the past two weeks, the FBI conducted a search in a major Democratic county in a swing state, in service of debunked theories about fraud in the 2020 election; the Justice Department attempted to extort voter rolls from another Democratic state under threat of armed occupation; and the president floated plans to "nationalize" elections. Trump has tried to subvert an election before, but these efforts are earlier, more organized, and-crucially-employing the power of the federal government to help him achieve his personal political goals."

"Yesterday, Trump spoke with Dan Bongino, the podcaster turned FBI deputy director turned podcaster, and called for his party to seize control of voting in states. "These people were brought to our country to vote, and they vote illegally," Trump said, reprising an oft-used and incorrect claim. ( Voting by noncitizens is rare and does not amount to enough to swing elections.)"

With nine months until the midterm elections, the Trump administration has taken steps that raise serious concerns about federal interference in voting. Recent actions include an FBI search in a major Democratic county based on debunked 2020 fraud theories; a Justice Department attempt to extract voter rolls from a Democratic state under threats of armed occupation; and the president publicly proposing to 'nationalize' voting and urging Republicans to seize control of elections in multiple states. The president repeats incorrect claims about noncitizen voting. Officials and observers view these moves as earlier, more organized, and aimed at using federal power for personal political gain.

Read at The Atlantic