this post was submitted on 01 May 2026
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37
8 Things You Should Know About Trump’s Effort to “Take Over” the Midterm Elections (www.propublica.org)
submitted 1 week ago by Powderhorn@beehaw.org to c/politics@beehaw.org
17 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

When President Donald Trump attempted to overturn the 2020 election, the institutional guardrails of American democracy held — but just barely.

If faced with the same tests today, those guardrails and the people who held the line would largely be missing, a ProPublica examination found.

At least 75 career officials who once held roles at federal agencies related to election integrity and safety are gone. Two dozen appointees — including many who either actively worked to reverse the 2020 vote or are associates of such people — have been hired to replace them. And once-fringe actors now have access to vast powers.

As the midterms approach, current and former government officials and election security experts expressed concerns that Trump appointees who’ve espoused debunked conspiracy theories about balloting are now in positions to control the narrative around the vote’s soundness.

It’s hard to debunk false claims “coming with the seal of the federal government,” said Derek Tisler, counsel and manager with the Brennan Center for Justice’s elections and government program. “I certainly worry what damage that could do to voters’ confidence.”

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[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 8 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

To all Americans: you need to protest this now. I know Iran and Palestine are important, but if you don't pressure your government officials to put in election guardrails before midterms, this is it. They don't care if Trump survives his term, he did his part, gutted the American democracy, supported Israels brutal expansion, made America into a surveillance state that would make the Nazis cum in their pants, and used that power to kidnap and imprison, torture and rape innocents even children. Deporting them to countries they dont come from, just to be placed in prison labour death camps.

They dont need Trump anymore. It doesnt matter who is the president, as all nominees will be pre selected for you.

But midterms do matter. It has been proven time and time again that it is actually possible to get good people elected as governors or senators.

[–] deft@lemmy.wtf 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Americans have genuinely been non-stop protesting for years

It hasn't done much.

[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Then do it better. Look to the French for inspiration.

[–] deft@lemmy.wtf -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I think it's so much easier said than done and America is developing that culture but it's not gonna be overnight. It's a very punch and punch back development. People are still in the MLK mindset of nonviolence and quiet disruption. When they do go nuts, it's often portrayed very negatively and absorbed by the American culture negatively.

Personally. As an American. I don't think we have it in us for this one. But who knows I'd really love to be wrong.

[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 2 points 1 week ago

People loved Luigi.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Yeah I get your feeling. Like 2% of the population is protesting and like 20% respond positively going by a protest. This is double from no kings 1. maga extremist have been about the same with 1% responding negatively going by a protest. These are mostly numbers made up by me based on my vibe feelings in my area. I mean the 2% for the latest no kings is based on a bit of data but you know estimates. The good news is it has basically doubled from just before or the start of the ice invasion of major us cities and afterward. I will say to that the growth is 100% people having issues with violations of the constitution or general facist activity of the administration or concern over voting. The other issues like maga folks has not grown. I mean folks like myself were concerned and sympathetic but now its basically all out the window until we are a functioning democracy again and once we dealt with all the things that have been gutted and the massive economic problem its given us. If we do get through this we need to keep fighting hard till the patriot act and citizens united is out and wealth disaprity is in check at a minimum.

[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The funny thing is most republicans identify themselves as being anti-opression. That's the core essence of what republicanism is supposed to mean. But because the education system has been gutted in rural areas, these people don't understand how opression really works. They're being told its their government, without understanding that government is just a tool, and that tool has been skewed to give more power to corporate opressors because of their misunderstood notion of what a small government was supposed to mean.

Small government shouldn't mean "small social systems but large enforcement bureau" it should mean the literal opposite.

Republicans are just propogandized marxists.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)

technically they should be for things like citizens income and other social safety nets that allow the individual to decide how to utilize it. Rather than limiting snap they should be expanding it to all and limiting it to domestically produced items.

[–] BogeyTheSwear@lemmy.zip 1 points 1 week ago

Excactly. The safety nets are there to make it harder to opress people. If your boss treats you like shit, you should know that you can leave your job to look for a better one, without having to fear your kids starving or losing access to healthcare and education.

The opressors are not the government, the opressors are the ones who pay to influence it.

Which is why every American needs to take to the streets before midterms, to demand proper voting guardrails be reintroduced. If midterms comes and the guardrails that Trump removed aren't reimplemented, democracy is dead in America. This is it for you guys.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org 5 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Honestly would be more shocked by any upcoming elections not won by republicans.

[–] megopie@beehaw.org 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

There have been several elections recently that they’ve lost, and there isn’t really anything the federal executive can do to alter those outcomes. The federal executive (trump and his people) can sue to challenge results on grounds of violating some federal law, but they have to actually win the case for that to effect anything. There is no pathway for them to unilaterally block or overturn election results.

The SAVE act was attempting to change that by moving a lot of oversight and management up to the federal level and under the executive branch, but that failed to pass.

In all likelihood there will be a flurry of legal challenges from trump’s people after the midterms, but those won’t stop people taking office while they’re being fought in court, and realistically they will lose the cases since they’re not based on anything.

[–] The_Che_Banana@beehaw.org -1 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Democrats will not save you.

[–] megopie@beehaw.org 3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Completely irrelevant to a discussion of trumps ability to alter election outcomes using the federal executive.

[–] HubertManne@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

they certainly won't if you don't live in the us thats for sure

[–] OpenStars@piefed.social 2 points 1 week ago

So long as the important things are secured, they can afford to ignore the small stuff, and in fact it's useful even if Dems did win a few (distraction and ability to focus blame upon).

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 3 points 1 week ago

The people will totally rise up when he completely modifies all the election results in his favour, just like how they rose up at every red line he crossed already.

[–] lostwonder@beehaw.org 2 points 1 week ago

Their aim is to rig the game in their favor. Legality doesn't matter to them, and they will play dirty to do it too.