1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to publicly oppose any attempt by President Trump to declare a national emergency that would federalize election administration for the 2026 midterm elections. A 17-page draft executive order currently circulating among the president's allies would grant him unprecedented control over voting mechanisms nationwide, including mandating hand-counting of ballots, requiring voters to re-register with proof of citizenship, and imposing federal voter identification requirements. This proposal fundamentally violates the constitutional framework established by our founders. The U.S. Constitution explicitly grants states the authority to administer elections, with Congress having only limited oversight in regulating federal elections. As Max Flugrath of Fair Fight Action stated, "The president cannot seize control of state-run elections by declaring an 'emergency.' There's no statute that permits it." Legal experts agree such an order would immediately face court challenges. The justification for this order, alleged foreign interference, does not warrant dismantling state election systems. Thirty-six states already have laws requiring some form of identification at the polls. President Biden used existing executive authority to sanction Iranian and Russian actors attempting to influence elections without seizing control of state election infrastructure. These targeted approaches address legitimate security concerns without undermining federalism. The practical consequences would be disastrous. During a recent call with over 100 election officials, Heather Honey, the deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, promoted hand-counting ballots despite election experts warning this method is inaccurate due to human error. Forcing voters to re-register en masse would create chaos and potentially disenfranchise millions of eligible citizens. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold correctly identified this as one of the greatest threats to American elections, stating that "every American — regardless of party or ideology — should be extremely concerned by Trump's continued use of lies and conspiracy to justify attempts to seize the reins of election administration." I urge you to speak out against this proposal and commit to defending state authority over election administration. Our democracy depends on the constitutional separation of powers between federal and state governments.