Democratic voters are shifting their midterm voting patterns, choosing to cast ballots in person at unusually high rates rather than by mail, a change that may reflect concerns about mail voting security and anxiety about the election itself.
President Donald Trump has attempted multiple strategies to undermine the voting process. He implemented last-minute rules intended to restrict mail-in voting in some places, but courts blocked those rules, and the Supreme Court declined to let them take effect before this election. Trump's administration sued 30 states and Washington, DC, for access to voter rolls. Courts dismissed 27 of those cases, though many dismissals are being appealed. The administration also demanded that California set aside ballots from roughly 20,000 registered voters it claimed were noncitizens, but a federal judge ruled against the order, stating it "would wreak havoc and disrupt the election." The Trump administration has appealed.
Other potential forms of interference remain possible. Trump told reporters in August that he might declare a national emergency to impose new voting requirements, saying "stranger things have happened." The president and his allies have discussed deploying federal agents to polling sites or seizing ballots.
The Trump administration recently attempted to preemptively challenge Alaska's Senate race, claiming two candidates named Dan Sullivan on the ballot risked confusing voters. The New York Times reported Democrats enticed one Dan Sullivan to run for that reason. Some have raised concerns that Republicans could refuse to seat Democrat Mary Peltola if she wins.
Benjy Sarlin, Vox's editorial director of politics, said election interference poses a real threat but that democratic safeguards remain robust. State and federal courts have blocked administration attempts repeatedly. Voting rights groups have prepared lawsuits in advance. Republicans also face political risk. Trump's election denialism after 2020 helped drive Black Georgian voters to the polls, where they elected two Democrats, and many Republicans continue to blame Trump for those losses.