Trump pushes to centralize federal control of elections before 2026 midterms

President Donald Trump is pushing to federalize U.S. elections ahead of the 2026 midterms, backing the SAVE America Act to require citizenship proof, voter IDs, and to sharply restrict mail voting, while firing Democratic members of the Election Assistance Commission and pressing for broader federal control of voting data and procedures. The administration has directed DOJ monitors to state primaries, pursued lawsuits to obtain voter rolls and ballots, and confronted legal challenges to executive orders and data collection efforts. Critics warn the moves threaten state election sovereignty and could politicize election administration, while supporters frame them as needed to safeguard election integrity.