President Barack Obama

Voter Suppression

The strict voter identification measure that Republicans have pushed through the House is just their opening salvo in a broader legislative effort aimed at keeping control of Congress this fall.

Under the Constitution, states are given the primary authority to administer elections, while Congress is given a limited role in shaping rules on federal contests. The SAVE Act, SAVE America Act, and Make America Great Again Act, backed by the President and most members of the Republican Party, would move well beyond those traditional guardrails. They would impose new nationwide mandates on voter registration documentation, mandate ongoing federal voter-eligibility checks and purges, dictate confusing mail-in voting procedures, and condition federal funding on compliance.

The Republican SAVE America Act

This act is presently being debated in the Senate. Its stated aim is to crack down on fraud which is exceedingly rare. Mr. Trump and right-wing activists have escalated their efforts to force through the bill as the president continues to falsely claim voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election.

It would stiffen voter identification requirements nationwide. The legislation would significantly tighten requirements presently in place. Voters would have to prove their citizenship in person upon registering to vote. That would limit mail or online registration, and direct voters to local election offices instead. There, they would have to produce documentary proof of U.S. citizenship such as an enhanced form of REAL ID — a state identification card compliant with federal regulations — that indicates American citizenship, birth certificate, passport or military identification card.

The bill would also mandate that all voters present a government-issued photo ID at polling places. Those seeking to vote by mail would have to enclose a copy of photo identification both when requesting a ballot and when returning it.

States would be required to submit their voter rolls to the Department of Homeland Security, to be cross-referenced with citizenship data and purged of those deemed ineligible to vote. And election workers who fail to properly verify an applicant’s eligibility to vote could face criminal penalties.

Many eligible voters would not meet the requirements. An estimated 9 percent of eligible voters, or 21.3 million Americans, either do not have documents that prove their citizenship, such as passports and birth certificates, or cannot retrieve them in a day or less. And 45 states do not issue the kind of enhanced driver’s license indicating citizenship status that would be needed to verify voting eligibility.

Citing those limitations, Democrats and election experts say that many voters would be disenfranchised by the measure. They have also raised concerns that women who change their name upon marriage and lack documents reflecting their current surnames could find it more difficult to register to vote.

States have raised concerns about their ability to comply with the measure. The bill would mandate that states comply with new requirements within days of enactment without providing any extra funding for them. For instance, many local election offices are currently unequipped to verify citizenship status.

Critics also warn that many states lack the procedures or materials to properly collect copies of photo identification to accompany mail-in ballots or requests for them, which would effectively leave them with no legal way to allow mail-in voting should the legislation become law.

Who will be hurt by this Act?
Every American, including people who have been registered for decades, would need to appear in person at an election office with qualifying documents. Online voter registration, which 42 states currently rely on, would be upended or eliminated. Mail registration would end entirely. Voter registration drives would become functionally ineffective, since they depend on reaching people at events and public spaces where no one carries a passport or birth certificate.

Married women – 69 million married women do not have a birth certificate that matches their current legal name.
Rural Americans -In the 30 largest counties by area in the Western United States, voters would need to drive an average of 260 miles to reach an election office. One analysis found rural voters facing a 4.5-hour round trip on average.
Young and first time voters – About 24% of Americans under 30 do not have ready access to qualifying documents. Voter registration drives at college campuses and community events would largely end since they depend on mail-in forms.
Low Income Americans The financial barriers above fall hardest on working-class Americans across all political backgrounds. They are simply the least likely to have a passport or the flexibility to visit an election office during business hours.
People of Color 21 million Americans lack ready access to documentary proof of citizenship, with people of color disproportionately represented in that group.Nearly half of Black Americans under 30 do not have ID with their current name and address. Many older Black Americans, born during the pre-civil rights era, were never issued a birth certificate at all.
Military members and Americans Abroad – the bill’s in-person requirement would create significant barriers for service members stationed overseas and American citizens living abroad.
Transgender Americans Before this bill, an estimated 210,800 transgender Americans in states with existing voter ID laws already lacked IDs correctly reflecting their name or gender. The SAVE Act adds another documentation layer on top of barriers that already exist.

The Senate is weighing ‘nuclear option’ to pass voter restriction bill. It’s facing long odds, but numerous GOP states are taking up legislation requiring proof of citizenship.

What you can do

The League of Women Voters advises you tell Congress to oppose the SAVE Act suite of bills. They provide links to your members of Congress. I recommend saving their phone numbers in your contact list so you won’t need the links. A phone call is more effective than an email.

Vote.org is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to voter registration and access for all eligible Americans.

Check your own registration. Use Vote.org’s Check Your Registration Tool to confirm your registration status today.

Help people get their documents. Passports, birth certificates, and Real IDs are the documents this bill would require. Helping people in your community secure them now protects their ability to vote no matter what happens next.

Contact your senators. The Senate is debating this right now. Find your senators at senate.gov.

Stay informed. Sign up for the Vote.org newsletter for updates as this legislation continues to move.

The Trump Administration Attempts to Seize Voter Data

The U.S. Department of Justice sued New Jersey and four other states for failing to hand over voter rolls. Critics say the litigation is a step toward potential manipulation of midterm elections in President Donald Trump’s favor. Groups including the ACLU, the NAACP and the Brennan Center for Justice have condemned Trump’s attempts to seize voter data, calling it a move to maintain Republican control of government. Judges have dismissed similar lawsuits against California, Oregon and Michigan.

It’s up to states to maintain voter rolls, or registrations of those who are eligible to participate in elections. Trump claims the rolls contain the names of millions of people who are ineligible to vote and should be purged. The states say that’s not true, and that voters’ personal information would be compromised if they comply with the administration’s data requests.

The 2026 Midterm Elections Begin

The Fight For Congress

Democrats need a net gain of four seats in order to win control of the Senate in 2026. That means the party has to defend every seat it currently holds, and flip four more on highly competitive and even outright Republican terrain.

Democrats need to flip a net of just three House seats in the fall to take back the House, where Republicans have a narrow majority.

Governorships

There will be 36 gubernatorial elections in November, with each party defending 18 governorships. The overall partisan balance is currently close, with Republicans holding 26 governorships and Democrats 24. Each party has a clear and achievable goal. Democrats are seeking their first national majority of governorships since their catastrophic losses in 2010.

Primaries

U.S. Senate primaries have taken place in Arkansas, Illinois, and Mississippi. U.S. House primaries have also taken place in these three , in addition to New Jersey (CD 11 Runoff), North Carolina and Texas . Primaries for governorship have run in Arkansas, Illinois and Texas.

Get the latest election results for the biggest contests on the ballot — Senate, U.S. House and Governor — in all 50 states this year. Note that not every state will have a race for every office.

2026 State Races

The National Conference of State Legislatures states that legislative races in 46 states will be conducted in November 2026. These include races in 88 of the nation’s 99 legislative chambers. They provide a table that indicates which states and chambers are holding legislative elections, and how many seats are up for reelection this year.

New York – Governor and Lieutenant Governor, Comptroller, Attorney General, State Senators, State Assembly Members and Supreme Court Justice.

New Jersey – None

What you can do

Now is the time to make a change in the Democratic Party . Get involved in the primary races in your county, township, or city. Find out who is running to represent you on the local, state and federal levels. Go to their websites and read their statements on issues important to you. Find out which organizations are endorsing them and why. Attend their town halls, community events and outreach. Ask questions. Donate to their campaigns.

Get involved in voter registration drives in your community. Vote.org, Rock the Vote and League of Women Voters take the lead in many communities. Turn up focuses on youth led voter registration drives. Get involved with postcard drives reminding registered Democrats to vote. Indivisible, Progressive Turnout Project, and Postcard to Voters are just a few.

Registration Deadlines for the Primaries ahead.

NPR has provided an excellent resource of information for primary dates and registration deadlines for all 50 states. It also provides links for online registration.

The Metropolitan area
New York’s Primary is June 23. The deadline for registration is June 13.
New Jersey’s Primary is June 2. The deadline for registration is May 12.
Note: Military and overseas citizen voters may have different registration deadlines.

The War in Iran

Democrats have tried to limit Trumps power to use American military force without congressional approval. Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked the measure for a second time. Since the United States and Israel began joint airstrikes against Iran late last month, Democrats have demanded that the Trump administration share more information on the objectives, timeline and costs associated with the military campaign.

The Pentagon then asked for $200 billion in funding for the war. The sum — nearly a quarter of the country’s entire annual defense budget — is already raising eyebrows among some moderate Republicans who would be key to approving the funds.

Rift widens among Republicans over war in Iran. Conservatism’s most famous figures are in a rhetorical brawl over America’s role. Conservatives are holding one of their largest annual gatherings at a perilous political moment for President Donald Trump and with open division on the right over the war he launched in Iran.

Wall Street hit hard as Iran war rattles stock market. The emerging view from oil industry executives and analysts is that the economic and market fallout from the war could escalate sharply if the Strait of Hormuz isn’t reopened within roughly the next one to three weeks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said European and Asian allies of the United States should help with securing the Strait of Hormuz for the shipping of global oil and gas supplies. Leaders have ignored him or said no.

Back in the U.S., the war with Iran is pushing up oil and gas prices, creating widespread financial strain on U.S. motorists, food delivery drivers, farmers as well as the U.S. Postal Service. Americans broadly disapprove of U.S. military action in Iran.

What You Can Do

Now is the time to add your national, state and local officials phone numbers and email addresses to your contact list. A phone call is more effective than an email but both are powerful. Join them at events and town halls and let your opinion be known.

Contact your U.S. Senators and your U.S. House Representative.

Participate in actions across the country including rallies, marches and demonstrations. Join your local Indivisible chapter as it organizes and coordinates actions in your community or close by.

Thousands of demonstrations against the Trump administration unfolded across the country on Saturday March 28. The five takeaways of the event: 1. The war seemed to galvanize younger voters. 2. Trump’s immigration crackdown remains a focus. 3. Dueling protests unfolded near Mar-a-Lago 4. Midterm candidates came out in force and 5. Democrats found fresh fuel for their ‘No Kings’ slogan as the Treasury is printing money with T’s name on it.

Next Post

The Midterm Primary Races of 2026

The Races for Governor