While the Supreme Court’s ruling on mail-in voting this week reaffirms states’ ability to shape elections, threats to our elections are mounting. President Trump has repeatedly pushed for federalizing elections and is demanding Republicans in Congress pass the disastrous SAVE America Act, which would block millions of Americans from voting. Even if this bill doesn’t pass Congress, fourteen GOP-controlled states have already passed their own versions of the SAVE America Act, and Republicans across the country have introduced over 300 bills this year alone to restrict voting access. 

That’s not all. Trump’s Supreme Court justices helped gut the Voting Rights Act, dismantling a cornerstone of the Civil Rights Movement and giving more power to Republicans to gerrymander at the expense of communities of color across the South.

Republicans are rigging the system to win in 2026… but state Democrats are fighting back.

From the White House to the courts to GOP-controlled statehouses, Republicans are working overtime to disenfranchise voters, gerrymander maps, and make voting more difficult, all to protect their own power. Republicans are attacking the most essential tenet of our elections: that the people decide their representatives, not the other way around. 

They know that voters are ready to hold them accountable for their extremism this November, and that’s why they are trying to rig the system in their favor. But their efforts to dilute the voices of voters won’t go unanswered. Democrats in the states are fighting back.

State legislatures have the power to protect our elections

The Supreme Court may be in the headlines, but the US Constitution makes it clear: state legislatures have the power to set and administer elections: 

“The times, places and manner of holding elections for senators and representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature”

• The US Constitution, Article I, Section IV

Right now, this power means Democratic majorities in statehouses across 20 states are securing and protecting voting rights and election access for more than 160 million Americans. Since 2021, every state with a Democratic-controlled legislature has passed legislation to improve voter access or election administration.

In addition to passing legislation, state legislators are responsible for allocating budgets and providing oversight of state officials and entities tasked with election administration – from secretaries of state and state attorneys general, to the thousands of local and municipal election offices across the country.

DLCC President Heather Williams recently interviewed on Pod Save America, one of the top political podcasts in the country, and explained how state Democrats can protect the path to the presidency:

 

 

State Democrats are passing hundreds of bills to improve voter access

In 2026 alone, Democrats have introduced more than 400 bills in state legislatures across the country to improve voter access and ensure the integrity of our elections, including new laws that will protect voting by mail, expand early voting, protect election results, and improve election administration. Recent proposals also seek to prevent Trump from deploying federal agents to interfere at polling places, as well as to improve ballot access and returns for millions of Americans. 

Eight Democratic-led states have already passed state-level Voting Rights Acts to shore up protections for voters and elections, with at least three more states considering bills this year. These actions protect our democratic systems – and make sure that all votes are counted. 

DLCC’s strategy will help counteract the Republicans’ Election Schemes

There are five states where state legislative majorities are currently decided by just a few seats. These chambers will be extremely competitive, and the winners will determine who oversees elections heading into the 2028 presidential cycle as well as the 2030 redistricting cycle. We must win in these states.

DLCC Target States With Close Majorities

STATE	STATE HOUSE CURRENT STATUS	STATE SENATE CURRENT STATUS
ARIZONA	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +4 Seats	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +3 Seats
MICHIGAN	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +4 Seats	DEM MAJORITY Dems hold a 1 seat majority.
MINNESOTA	TIED CHAMBER Dems only need +1 Seat	DEM MAJORITY Dems hold a 1 seat majority.
PENNSYLVANIA	DEM MAJORITY Dems hold a 1 seat majority	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +3 Seats
WISCONSIN	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +5 Seats	GOP MAJORITY Dems only need +2 Seats

 

To win these seats, the DLCC has done the analysis to identify the most competitive districts in each state, and we are focused on supporting the candidates in these races from start to finish. 

Across the country, we are targeting more than 500 districts with key races through our Target Races program, and you can learn more about them at www.DLCC.org/TargetRaces 

This November, it is critical to vote all the way up and down the ballot and harness the power of our statehouses – the future of our democracy and our country depends on it.