With the midterm elections less than two months away, Democrats are training thousands of volunteers on how to respond to any potential incidents of voter intimidation at the polls in November.
asserted
Democrats → train → November
The New Battlefield Project—an initiative that is being coordinated by the Association of State Democratic Committees (ASDC), which operates under the Democratic National Committee (DNC)—involves training at least 10,000 volunteers so that they’ll be equipped to counter interference or intimidation at polling locations across the country if such situations arise, says Jane Kleeb, the chair of the Nebraska Democratic party and president of the ASDC.
asserted
Kleeb → coordinate → ASDC
The on-the-ground team—dubbed the “Democracy Protectors”—will be wearing blue to distinguish themselves, and will be trained in de-escalating conflicts and documenting any potential “bad actors and bad behavior.”
asserted
team → dub → actors
Information about such incidents would then be passed along to the state party and the DNC to take action where necessary.
asserted
Information → pass → action
Kleeb says the volunteers will also be helpful resources to voters—for instance, they can help direct people to the right polling locations.
asserted
they → say → locations
The trainings, Kleeb adds, are based on constitutional observer trainings that the Minnesota Democratic Party coordinated amid Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids in the state.
asserted
Party → add → state
In addition to the Democracy Protectors, the New Battlefield Project includes teams that are focused on encouraging citizens to register to vote and to vote early, as well as on dispelling any misinformation or disinformation spreading online ahead of Election Day.
asserted
that → include → Day
The DNC musters an election protection program every year, and states sometimes train volunteers to perform similar tasks.
asserted
states → muster → tasks
But this year’s effort is larger in its scope and is being coordinated nationwide.
asserted
effort → coordinate → scope
Kleeb says Democrats were spurred to launch the initiative because of speculation and concerns they were hearing from voters, candidates, and elected officials that President Donald Trump could send federal agents to polling places.
uncertain
Trump → say → places
“About six months ago, state parties really started to put in place a program that we thought would address the threat of Donald Trump and what we think his allies are doing this cycle,” Kleeb says.
asserted
Kleeb → start → Trump
“We heard Trump and Steve Bannon talking about how they could potentially be sending the National Guard, the military, or ICE agents outside of polling locations.”
uncertain
they → hear → locations
“We take them very seriously,” she continues.
asserted
she → take → them
Trump Administration floats sending federal agents to the polls
The Justice Department announced last month that its Civil Rights Division would be “monitoring polling sites in Florida and Wyoming for the states’ primary elections to ensure transparency, ballot security, and compliance with federal law.”
On Tuesday, FBI Director Kash Patel also indicated that he was not opposed to the idea of dispatching federal agents to voting locations.
asserted
he → float → locations
Separately, Trump has deployed the National Guard to cities across the country, including Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., with the stated goal of helping combat crime, though the data indicates that crime rates in many of those cities have been falling for years.
asserted
rates → deploy → years
When asked in May if he would send members of the National Guard or ICE officers to the polls, Trump replied, “I’d do anything necessary to make sure we have honest elections.”
uncertain
have → ask → elections
The troops’ presence, as well as comments from the President and his allies, has raised concerns from some Democrats that the military could be sent to voting locations.
uncertain
military → raise → locations
Members of the military are prohibited under federal law from being sent to “any place where a general or special election is held,” however.
asserted
election → prohibit → place
And in August, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told Democratic Sen. Elissa Slotkin in a letter that the “Joint Force has no plans to send Federal military personnel or Federalized members of the National Guard to polling places during the 2026 elections.
asserted
Force → tell → elections
Likewise, the Joint Force has no plans to use such personnel to seize ballots, voting machines, or other election-related material.”
asserted
Force → have → ballots
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said earlier this month that ICE—which has also ramped up enforcement in cities around the U.S. since Trump returned to office—“isn’t there to patrol the polling places.”
asserted
Trump → say → places
But he added that “We’re there to enforce specific threats,” a comment that exacerbated fears among Democrats, advocates, and voters that ICE agents may show up at the polls in November.
uncertain
agents → add → November
When asked about the possibility of ICE agents being stationed at the polls during the midterms, then-White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this year that that was “not something [she has] ever heard the President consider.”
“I can’t guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location in November,” Leavitt said in February.
asserted
Leavitt → ask → February
“I mean, that's frankly a very silly hypothetical question.
asserted
that → mean → ?
But what I can tell you is I haven’t heard the President discuss any formal plans to put ICE outside of polling locations.
asserted
President → tell → locations
It’s a disingenuous question.”
asserted
It → ’ → ?
Kleeb says that Democrats wanted to be prepared just in case.
asserted
Democrats → say → case
“Maybe nothing will happen,” Kleeb says.
asserted
Kleeb → happen → ?
“Maybe they don’t send anybody anywhere.
asserted
they → send → anybody
Maybe that’s going to be true.
asserted
that → go → ?
But as the Democratic party … we do not want to wake up the next day after Election Day, saying to ourselves, ‘Damn it!
asserted
we → want → it
They said that they were going to do this, and we didn’t believe them,’ or ‘We thought that it was just them thumping their chest.’
asserted
it → say → chest
We’re taking them seriously.”
asserted
We → take → them
When asked by TIME about the New Battlefield Project, White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said in a statement that “the only ‘fears’ Americans have about our elections are being fueled by extreme liberal Democrats who refuse to support commonsense legislation that ensures Americans, and Americans only, decide our elections and other basic election security measures like Voter ID.”
asserted
Americans → ask → ID
Bis’ comment appeared to be referring to the SAVE America Act, the restrictive voter ID bill that the President has forcefully championed during his second term that has been met with vocal backlash from Democrats and voting rights advocates.
asserted
that → appear → Democrats
The measure passed the House, but Senate Republicans have said they don’t have the votes required for it to pass the upper chamber.
asserted
it → pass → chamber
‘An air of menace’: Experts express concerns over Trump Administration’s actions
Experts have expressed concerns about potential election interference in the November midterms, in light of recent actions taken by the Trump Administration.
asserted
Experts → express → Administration
“The Trump Administration has been progressively trying to regulate and interfere in elections in ways which are not constitutional,” alleged Pippa Norris, a lecturer in comparative politics at the Harvard Kennedy School and founding director of the Electoral Integrity Project.
asserted
Norris → try → Project
“Most of his actions haven’t actually succeeded, but they have sown confusion, and therefore there’s been problems because they can undermine public trust in the system
asserted
they → succeed → system
She cites, for instance, recent reports that the Trump Administration has directed federal agents to comb through voter rolls, which are overseen by the states, in a quest to find non-citizens.
asserted
which → cite → citizens
…and 21 more, not listed.
The Aporia
