If anyone tries to stop you from voting, you do not have to sort it out alone. Call the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683). It is free, and you do not need to prove a crime to ask for help. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
The federal government is demanding your voter data
Since May 2025, the Department of Justice has demanded full, unredacted voter rolls from at least 44 states and D.C. These rolls include driver’s license numbers and partial Social Security numbers. When states refused, the DOJ sued 24 jurisdictions so far.
| Who complied | Who refused | Who is fighting in court |
|---|---|---|
| 12 states turned over full data: AK, AR, IN, LA, MS, NE, OH, OK, SD, TN, TX, WY | 31 states and D.C. refused entirely | CA, OR, MI have won court rulings blocking the DOJ's demands |
DOJ demanded voter roll data from all 50 states.
NPR / Democracy Docket →In Michigan, Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson argued the federal government had no right to personal information of 7 million voters beyond what was already public. She won.
In December 2025, a DOJ official told a federal court that 11 states had expressed interest in a confidential deal to remove voters flagged by the federal government as ineligible. The pattern: collect voter data, flag names, pressure states to purge.
In Ohio, Texas, and Virginia, officials claimed to remove noncitizens from voter rolls. In each case, they wrongly removed thousands of eligible American citizens.
The Supreme Court rewrote Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act
On April 29, 2026, the Supreme Court decided Louisiana v. Callais in a 6-3 ruling along ideological lines. The court held that Louisiana’s congressional map, which created a second majority-Black district, was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. The ruling rewrote the standards set in 1986 and made it dramatically harder for voters of color to challenge discriminatory maps.
”I dissent from this latest chapter in the majority’s now-completed demolition of the Voting Rights Act.”
Justice Elena Kagan, dissenting opinion read from the bench, Louisiana v. CallaisThe damage goes beyond Louisiana. NPR found at least 17 active challenges to voting maps that must now reckon with Callais. Some state legislatures have already begun redrawing maps to eliminate majority-minority districts before November.
This ruling applies to state legislative districts, county commission seats, and school board maps. The result is a systematic reduction in the representation of Black, Hispanic, and Native voters at every level of government.
If Congress Passes the John Lewis Act
States must get federal approval before changing voting maps or rules in jurisdictions with a history of discrimination. The 17+ active challenges to discriminatory maps get a legal framework to succeed. Future gerrymanders can be blocked before they take effect, not litigated after the damage is done.
If Congress Does Nothing
State legislatures redraw maps before November 2026 to eliminate majority-minority districts. Callais becomes the permanent standard, making nearly all racial gerrymandering challenges unwinnable. Representation of Black, Hispanic, and Native voters shrinks at every level of government for the next decade.
The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore and update the preclearance system the Supreme Court stripped in 2013. Rep. Terri Sewell reintroduced it as H.R. 14; Sens. Durbin and Warnock reintroduced it as S. 2523. It has not received a vote in either chamber. Tell Congress to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act.
Proof-of-citizenship requirements are the new poll tax
In March 2025, Trump signed an executive order directing the Election Assistance Commission to add documentary proof of citizenship to the federal voter registration form. A federal judge struck it down, calling it “contrary to the manifest will of Congress.” Three federal courts have now blocked this order.
The administration tried a different route. The SAVE Act (H.R. 22) would require a passport or birth certificate to register for any federal election. The House passed it 220-208 in April 2025. The Senate rejected it 48-50 in June 2026, when it was offered as an amendment to a funding bill, but supporters keep bringing it back. Tell Congress to vote no on the SAVE Act.
States are not waiting:
| State | What changed |
|---|---|
| South Dakota, Utah | Passport or birth certificate required for all voters |
| Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi | Documentary proof required for some voters |
| Indiana | Removed student IDs from accepted identification |
40% of Americans have never held a passport. These requirements disproportionately affect low-income, elderly, and minority voters.
Brennan Center / NCSL →Altogether, 59 bills in 2026 sessions would create stricter ID requirements. About 40% of Americans have never held a passport. Many cannot easily locate a birth certificate or get to a government office during business hours. These laws do not mention race or income. They do not need to.
Mail voting is under coordinated attack
- Ohio, Kansas, North Dakota, and Utah passed laws in 2025 that no longer count mail ballots received after Election Day, even if mailed on time.
- Utah eliminated universal mail voting entirely. Voters must now apply for an absentee ballot.
- The Fifth Circuit ruled federal law requires all ballots to arrive by Election Day. On June 29, 2026, the Supreme Court reversed it 5-4 in Watson v. Republican National Committee, so states like Mississippi can keep counting ballots that arrive within their grace period.
- On Christmas Eve 2025, USPS changed its postmark policy: items are now postmarked when processed, not when received. A ballot mailed Monday might not get postmarked until Wednesday.
- In March 2026, Trump issued an executive order attempting to make USPS decide who is allowed to vote by mail. The Postal Service finalized a ballot-mail rule in August. A federal judge blocked it for the November election, and on September 14 the Supreme Court refused to let it take effect. The fight over later elections continues.
Another 37 bills would expand voter purges or require documentary proof of citizenship. Read the Brennan Center’s full roundup.
If you vote by mail, do not wait. In 35 states your ballot must arrive by Election Day, so mail it at least two weeks early or drop it off in person if your state still has drop boxes. Our mail voting rules by state show your deadline.
Election certification is the next battleground
After the 2020 and 2024 elections, local officials in several states refused to certify results. The administration’s March 2025 executive order directed the Election Assistance Commission to re-certify all voting systems under new standards. No voting system currently on the market meets those standards. Compliance could cost states billions, right before a midterm.
This is where the fights converge. You can pass the strongest voting laws in the country, but if a partisan official can refuse to certify the results, none of it matters.
Election reform advocates are pushing state legislatures to close loopholes before November: clarify that certification is mandatory and give state officials authority to intervene when a county refuses. Some states have acted. Many have not.
Protect yourself right now
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Check your registration today. Go to vote.gov. Verify your name, address, and status match your ID. Deadlines fall 15-30 days before Election Day in most states. Do not assume you are still registered.
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Know your state’s rules. Did your state change mail ballot deadlines? Drop box locations? ID requirements? Look it up in the Brennan Center roundup before you make a plan.
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Report intimidation. If you see voter intimidation at a polling place — people photographing voters, armed individuals, aggressive challengers — call the Election Protection hotline at 866-OUR-VOTE.
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Help someone else vote. Drive a neighbor. Help a relative check their registration. Walk a first-time voter through the process. One more person voting is the most effective thing you can do.
Last updated September 23, 2026