Democratic state officials are intensifying efforts to safeguard election integrity ahead of the November midterm elections, viewing the federal government as a potential threat to the electoral process. In May, representatives from every Democratic attorney general’s office and around a dozen Democratic secretaries of state convened in Milwaukee for a series of tabletop exercises to prepare for hypothetical scenarios that could arise during the elections.

At the sessions, officials discussed responses to various situations, including federal requests for election materials, the possible deployment of federal agents or troops in ways that might intimidate voters or disrupt election activities, and the prospect of the president declaring a national emergency tied to election results. Nick Brown, Washington’s Democratic attorney general, emphasized the shift in focus from the Department of Justice as a cooperative election partner to a source of concern, stating that the federal government now represents their primary challenge.

While the Trump administration has not formally threatened such interventions, concerns have grown amid former President Donald Trump’s continued airing of unsubstantiated claims of election fraud and his apparent willingness to leverage federal investigative and legal powers to influence election outcomes. Trump recently stated regret for not seizing voting machines following the 2020 election and has made broad allegations that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens voted illegally in multiple states, though these claims lack substantiation. A letter from the Department of Homeland Security suggested that some cited data was preliminary and likely overstated.

The heightened caution among Democratic officials follows an incident in New Jersey, where a software error at the Motor Vehicle Commission led to about 6,600 residents being improperly registered to vote, including approximately 400 noncitizens who cast ballots. New Jersey’s Democratic governor condemned the registration error as “unacceptable.” Trump and his allies have seized on this episode to support broader allegations of voter fraud.

To bolster coordination and response ahead of the midterms, Democratic attorneys general and secretaries of state are creating two formalized groups: the AG-SOS Election Protection PAC, which aims to support Democratic candidates for these offices, and AG-SOS Election Protection Action, a policy-focused organization. These initiatives build upon existing networks of Democratic state officials but seek to enhance cross-state collaboration. Sean Rankin, president of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, described the partnership as a crucial hub for aligning efforts to protect election results at multiple levels.

Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, chair of the Democratic Association of Secretaries of State, stressed that the expanded partnership is a necessary response to Trump’s actions. “We will use all the tools at our disposal to fight Donald Trump and protect our voting rights,” Aguilar said.

In response, a White House spokeswoman urged Democrats to prioritize passing the SAVE America Act, legislation aimed at imposing stricter voting regulations, including documentary proof of citizenship for voter registration and heightened photo ID requirements. The spokeswoman argued these measures had broad public support, though critics contend such provisions would disenfranchise many eligible voters.

Two years ago, Brown noted, concerns about efforts to disrupt elections might have seemed exaggerated, but today they are viewed as very real threats. As the November elections approach, the tension between Democratic state officials and the federal government reflects deepening polarization over election security and voting rights in the United States.