Speak Up Against Interference With Our Elections

Speak Up Against Interference With Our Elections   I am a constituent asking you to take five specific actions in response to federal actions threatening the security and independence of the 2026 midterm elections. Given how close we are to November, I am asking for a prompt written response describing the steps your office will take. My Requests ● Publicly state whether you support or oppose deploying ICE or other armed federal personnel at or near polling places, and call on DHS to confirm in writing that it will not do so. ● Call on the administration to submit Election Assistance Commission (EAC) nominees for Senate confirmation, and commit to prompt hearings once named. ● Request a GAO or Inspector General review of the EAC commissioner removals and their impact on election administration ahead of November. ● Publicly oppose federal executive action overriding state authority over elections under Article I, Section 4, including the pending Supreme Court appeal of the March 2026 executive order. ● Support congressional oversight — a hearing, inquiry letter, or records request — into whether recent federal actions toward state election officials cross into intimidation. The Facts In early July 2026, President Trump removed the EAC’s remaining commissioners — the independent, bipartisan agency that supports state election administration, certifies voting systems, and distributes federal election funds. Commissioners Hicks and Hovland were fired; Commissioner McCormick resigned. The commission now has no sitting members and no quorum, months before the midterms. The administration has issued two executive orders asserting federal control over elections, a power the Constitution assigns to the states. A March 2025 order requiring proof of citizenship and restricting mail ballots was repeatedly blocked by courts for exceeding presidential authority. A March 2026 order directing federal agencies to compile citizen lists and giving USPS new authority over mail ballots has been blocked by two federal courts; the First Circuit found it would risk disenfranchising eligible voters. The case is now before the Supreme Court. The administration was also reported to have discussed declaring a national emergency over alleged foreign interference to justify control over the midterms, which it has denied considering. Separately: former Trump strategist Steve Bannon publicly called for ICE to “surround the polls” in November; Trump voiced support for Republicans “taking over the voting in at least 15 places”; the administration sent letters warning state election officials of possible prosecution for not purging noncitizens from voter rolls, including cases where citizens were wrongly flagged; and Trump has publicly questioned whether the election should be held at all. This coincides with a pattern of statements about extending time in power: in March 2025, Trump told NBC he was “not joking” about a third term and described “methods” to achieve one despite the 22nd Amendment’s bar. In 2025 and again in 2026, he repeatedly remarked that Americans want “a dictator,” each time followed by a denial. This is raised only as context, not proof — courts have so far ruled on statutory authority, not motive — but it is relevant to evaluating the pattern as a whole. Closing No court has found these actions to constitute voter intimidation as a matter of law; litigation to date has focused on presidential authority, and courts have ruled against the administration on those grounds. This letter does not ask you to prejudge that question — it asks you to use the tools available to your office to ensure the 2026 midterms are administered by the states, free of federal intimidation, before the election rather than after. With the midterms fast approaching, I urge your office to act now rather than after Election Day, and to respond in writing as soon as possible with the specific steps you intend to take.   Sincerely,