Concerns about election interference under Donald Trump are no longer hypothetical. According to voting rights experts, the interference has already begun — and it is intensifying as the 2026 midterms approach.

Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent at Mother Jones and author of Minority Rule, argues that the Trump administration is deploying the full power of the federal government to intimidate voters, pressure election officials, and lay the groundwork for more aggressive intervention in future elections.

“These aren’t isolated incidents,” Berman says. “They’re part of a coordinated strategy to interfere with the midterms.”

Federal Power as a Political Weapon

Recent actions by federal agencies point to a troubling pattern. In Georgia’s Fulton County — a key swing area — the FBI seized hundreds of boxes of 2020 ballots. Elsewhere, the Department of Justice has demanded access to voters’ personal information. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has conducted aggressive operations in Democratic-led cities, while officials warn that continued cooperation with the administration could be tied to voter roll access.

According to Berman, these tactics are not merely backward-looking attempts to relitigate the 2020 election. They are forward-looking moves designed to intimidate voters ahead of 2026.

“The message is clear,” he explains. “Vote, and you may be harassed. Participate, and your information may be turned over to the federal government. Even the secrecy of your ballot could be questioned.”

The cumulative effect, he warns, is voter suppression through fear rather than law.

Preparing the Ground for Escalation

While some observers speculate that Trump could attempt to cancel the midterms outright, Berman does not believe that is likely or legally feasible. Instead, the greater danger lies in gradual escalation.

Ballot seizures, aggressive investigations, and federal raids can be used to justify future actions — including seizing voting machines, deploying federal agents or the National Guard near polling places, or invoking emergency powers such as the Insurrection Act.

“If Trump feels he’s losing power, he will push the system to its limits,” Berman says. “We saw that in 2020. The difference now is that there are far fewer restraints.”

The Role of Tulsi Gabbard and Foreign Interference Claims

One of the most alarming developments, according to Berman, is the involvement of Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in domestic election-related activity — including her reported presence during the FBI operation in Fulton County.

By law, the DNI is prohibited from participating in domestic law enforcement. Her role in elections is limited strictly to preventing foreign interference. Yet reporting indicates that Gabbard’s team has been investigating alleged Venezuelan interference in U.S. and Puerto Rican elections — claims for which no evidence has been found.

Berman believes these efforts may be laying the foundation for a new conspiracy narrative.

“The Trump movement has long promoted theories involving Venezuela, China, Italy, and other foreign actors,” he says. “Having the intelligence community appear to validate those claims gives Trump a pretext to demand federal control over elections.”

Such a move, Berman warns, could be framed as a national security necessity — even if the evidence is fabricated or wildly exaggerated.

No Guardrails Left

What makes the current moment especially dangerous, Berman argues, is the absence of internal resistance within the administration. Figures who restrained Trump in 2020 — including military leaders and Justice Department officials — have been replaced by loyalists.

“There is no one left to tell him ‘no,’” Berman says. “The people now in power were selected precisely because they won’t stand up to him.”

That lack of resistance raises the likelihood that Trump could attempt more dramatic forms of election interference than he did previously, particularly if Republicans face losses in Congress.

ICE, Intimidation, and Voter Suppression

Even without direct deployment at polling stations, ICE operations in Democratic and swing districts could have a chilling effect on voter turnout. According to Berman, the mere presence of heavily armed federal agents in communities is enough to discourage participation.

“ICE doesn’t need to be at the polls to suppress turnout,” he explains. “If communities feel occupied in the run-up to an election, people will stay home.”

He argues that Democrats should demand strict limits on ICE activity near elections, similar to existing laws that prohibit voter roll purges close to Election Day.

What a Free and Fair Election Looks Like

For Berman, the standard for a legitimate midterm election is simple: voters must feel safe enough to participate, able to cast ballots without obstruction, and confident that their votes will be counted.

Failure, by contrast, would mean widespread fear, barriers to voting, and post-election challenges designed to overturn results — or push the system to the breaking point.

“The U.S. political system,” Berman warns, “may not be able to withstand another crisis like 2020.”