by Hannah Saunders
Since re-stepping into office, Trump has been working to shake up election rules and regulations, which has included targeting mail-in ballot voting and proof of citizenship requirements. With the November 3 election just months away, Washington state officials have been hammering down protective measures to ensure there’s little to no federal interference.
Trump has a history of claiming elections are rigged, and attempted to overturn the vote when he lost to Biden in 2020, leading to the January 6, 2021, insurrection on the Capitol. The Center for American Progress (CAP), a liberal-leaning public policy research and advocacy organization, recently published a report highlighting 15 “election sabotage tactics,” the Trump regime has previously used and is using this election cycle.
“The Trump administration is carrying out an aggressive, multifaceted plan to attempt to nationalize elections and rig the electoral playing field to entrench its power and agenda,” according to CAP. “These tactics represent corrosive Democratic backsliding that threatens the people’s fundamental right to hold their leaders accountable through free and fair elections.”
CAP’s 15 listed election sabotage tactics are:
1.) Undermining election integrity through disinformation in order to nationalize elections
2.) Weaponizing the federal government by placing election deniers in high positions of power, including U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel
3.) Slashing agencies and essential election security programs, like the Election Assistance Commission, which is an independent agency that assists states with conducting elections— and which currently has no commissioners
4.) Calling for states to release personal voter information and weaponizing federal databases to do so. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has insisted on obtaining sensitive information, like social security and driver’s license numbers
5.) Limiting voting access through executive orders
6.) Pushing Congress to pass the SAVE Act, which if passed, will force people to provide proof of U.S. citizenship before registering to vote
7.) Reducing the ability to vote by mail, which tens of millions of Americans do
8.) Falsely claiming that voting equipment, like machines, are inaccurate and untrustworthy
9.) Gerrymandering, which the Trump regime began in July of 2025, particularly impacting left-leaning voters in Texas, Missouri, and North Carolina
10.) Intimidating election administrators through the DOJ and Department of Homeland Security (DHS). According to Reuters, several agents with DHS contacted county boards of elections and demanded “immediate access,” to sensitive voter information
11.) Confiscating voting machines and election materials. In January in Fulton County, GA, the feds took hundreds of boxes of ballots, machines, and records from state election offices
12.) Deploying the military to interrupt elections. The Trump regime, according to CAP, has signaled a possible desire to deploy federal troops, like the National Guard
13.) Deploying federal agents, like ICE, to interfere. Former White House strategist Steve Bannon previously stated that ICE will surround polling stations this November
14.) Postponing elections by declaring a national emergency, which in August, Trump said he’s open to doing
15). Pressuring the Senate and House to block the seating of elected members
“The 15 tactics documented in this report— by turns unconstitutional, illegal, corrosive to democracy, or without precedent in American history— represent the gravest threats yet posed by an imperial presidency that has been quickly dismantling democratic guardrails,” CAP stated.
WA issues preparedness resource and blocks USPS rule
Washington state officials are taking several measures to secure the election, with the Office of the Secretary of State and the Attorney General’s Office releasing a 32-page resource guide on state and federal powers during elections. The guide, which includes how to respond to federal investigations, possible interactions with feds, and advice on how to respond to a verbal request or subpoena for information, was distributed to election offices on September 3.
“This year, it is clear that Washington election officials must be prepared to handle inquiries and interactions with the federal administration, on top of the significant work it takes to administer a secure and accurate election,” Secretary of State Steve Hobbs said. “Supporting county election partners’ preparedness is one of my top priorities. That includes making sure they have clear, practical guidance when questions arise.”
On August 21, USPS highlighted a new rule that would force states to register all residents who are eligible to vote by mail with USPS, and will require USPS to create state-specific lists of voters. The new rule also creates new design specifications for the mail-in ballot envelopes issued by states; states must meet these design requirements and receive USPS approval. Furthermore, USPS will not deliver ballots to people who are not on the USPS-generated lists, nor will it deliver ballots in envelopes that fail to comply with requirements.
By August 26, the Attorneys General of Washington state and D.C., and 23 other states filed a lawsuit to block this new USPS rule. Two days later the court granted the coalition’s temporary restraining order request, since coming into compliance with this rule prior to the November elections was “practically impossible.”
On September 14, Democrats and activists announced the “New Battlefield Project,” which will work to recruit 10,000 volunteers who will be tasked with guarding polling stations on the chance that armed federal agents turn up, according to PBS.
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