Ways ordinary Americans can help detect and report interference in the 2026 midterms
Protecting our elections is not just the job of election officials and the courts. Citizens can help safeguard the vote by observing peacefully, noting what they witness, and reporting first-hand evidence of interference, however small, to organizations equipped to act.
For months, former Senator Tim Wirth and former House Democratic Leader Richard Gephardt have warned about the possibility of a “rolling coup”—an effort by the Trump administration to frustrate an electoral outcome adverse to its interests. Their warnings have focused on the potential use of federal law enforcement, military personnel, and executive authority to interfere with voting, counting, and certification.
With Election Day around the corner, Americans are asking: What can ordinary citizens do if they witness such interference? The answer begins with a familiar instruction: If you see something, say something.
We have already seen how citizen observation can work. In Minneapolis, residents responding to ICE operations organized neighborhood networks to monitor federal activity, document encounters, exchange information, and connect witnesses with lawyers. Their efforts demonstrated how ordinary people, working together, can create a contemporaneous public record of government conduct.
The same principle applies to protecting elections.
What should we watch for?
Armed federal agents, military personnel, or federal checkpoints appearing at or near polling places;
Immigration enforcement operations that intimidate voters;
Officers questioning voters about their citizenship or eligibility;
Threats of detention or arrest;
Federal officials demanding that election administrators remove registered voters from the rolls, withhold ballots, or refuse to count votes based on unverified claims of ineligibility;
Federal personnel demanding access to voting machines, ballots, or voter records;
Purported election monitors attempting to direct the work of local election officials; or
Unauthorized groups monitoring or confronting voters at polling places or ballot drop boxes, particularly when claiming federal authorization.
Some of these activities may be visible to ordinary citizens; others will be witnessed primarily by election workers, public officials, or government employees.
All have a role in bringing credible evidence of interference to light.
Witnesses should prioritize personal safety, avoid confrontation, and follow applicable laws. You are not there to police polling places yourselves. We do not recommend photography or video and most certainly not intervention.
To the extent you can do so safely, it will be helpful to note:
the time and location, and any information which can be safely obtained,
agencies involved,
identifying markings on uniforms and vehicles,
what officers actually did or said,
and how their conduct affected voters or election officials.
There are already organizations equipped to receive reports.
The national, nonpartisan Election Protection coalition, led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, operates the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline (866-687-8683) or 866ourvote.org. It works with lawyers and local partners to address voting problems, including intimidation.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) also provides an online election-incident reporting form, allowing witnesses to submit descriptions, locations, photographs, and videos for review and possible escalation. Its BRIDGE program is designed to connect reports with trained volunteers and attorneys.
Local election officials and state attorneys general are additional important points of contact.
The danger does not end when the polls close.
Attempts to seize or remove ballots or equipment, to interfere with the collection or delivery of mail ballots, to interrupt counting, to intimidate election workers, or to pressure officials to delay or reject certification also warrant immediate reporting. So do threats of federal investigation or prosecution against election officials for performing their lawful duties, demands to exclude ballots without proper legal authority, or efforts to prevent duly elected representatives from taking office.
The American public has an important role in ensuring that any such conduct is brought into the open. Citizens can observe peacefully, document accurately, and report promptly. Those with firsthand knowledge inside government agencies can bring credible evidence of interference to appropriate oversight authorities and legal counsel.
Reports should distinguish firsthand observations from rumors or secondhand accounts. Accurate information, promptly conveyed to people equipped to act on it, is far more useful than unverified allegations circulating on social media.
The essential message is simple: If you see something that may constitute election interference, say something. Report it. Help establish the facts.
The integrity of an election depends not only on the votes cast, but on the ability of the public, election officials, and the courts to know what happened, and to act on that knowledge.
HOLD FAST and VOTE
Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 450 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.
