Trump’s Threat To “Nationalize” Our Elections Endangers Voting Security

By Rosaland Tyler
Associate Editor
New Journal and Guide

An obscure elections bill called The SAVE America Act, which aims to tighten voter registration standards, is receiving renewed GOP attention.

Also receiving attention is the idea of “nationalizing” elections after Steve Bannon said in a Feb. 4 podcast, “President Trump has to nationalize the election. You’ve got to put — not just, I think, ICE — you’ve got to call up the 82nd and 101st Airborne [Divisions] on the Insurrection Act. You’ve got to get around every poll and make sure only people with IDs, people … actually registered to vote and people that are United States citizens vote in this election.”

The midterm elections take place this year on November 3. To date, a total of 51 lawmakers in the House have already ruled out midterm bids, (30 Republicans and 21 Democrats). Of those 30 Republicans, eight are leaving to seek a seat in the Senate, with almost half of those seeking to unseat a senator from their party.

The SAVE America Act legislation, which is receiving renewed GOP interest, would trigger major changes in how Americans vote. The changes would include requiring would-be voters to present proof of citizenship to register, eliminating mail-only registrations, and requiring photo ID in every state for the first time.

It would also require states to take new steps to remove non-citizens from existing voter rolls.

“The issue is not going away,” Politico noted on Feb. 6. “Besides the House action next week — the chamber’s second vote on a version of the legislation in less than a year — there is a mounting campaign on GOP senators to find ways around Democratic opposition and get the bill to Trump’s desk.”

The president, who seems to believe he is running against former President Barack Obama, recently released and swiftly withdrew a widely-criticized social media post that portrays the Obamas as apes. He is also personally involved in the effort to change election rules for the 2026 midterms, according to Politico.

“Majority Leader Steve Scalise spoke with the president about the SAVE America Act bill at a Jan. 29 White House meeting. GOP Sens. Mike Lee of Utah, Rick Scott of Florida and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin met with the president to discuss it on Feb. 5.”

Scalise said in an interview that Trump “wants to find the best place to get it passed so it can get signed into law” and Republican leaders are “in the process of working with the president to get the best path forward.”

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Meanwhile, Bannon, the former White House strategist, is urging the Trump administration to send Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers to polling sites to prevent noncitizens from voting.

“We’re going to have ICE surround the polls come November. We’re not going to sit here and allow you to steal the country again,” Bannon said on his podcast on Feb. 3. “And you can whine and cry and throw your toys out of the pram all you want, but we will never again allow an election to be stolen.”

A day later, Bannon called for the president to go even further and send U.S. Army troops to voting locations as well as urging the President to “nationalize” the election.

But federal law prohibits the president from deploying military troops “at any place where a general or special election is held,” and it is a crime in several states to carry a firearm at or near a polling place.

Democrats have already condemned any call to nationalize elections, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer calling the proposal “outlandishly illegal” and Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) referring to it as “an authoritarian takeover of our electoral process.”

Republican lawmakers have been reluctant to rally around the nationalization of elections idea, with Speaker Mike Johnson acknowledging that “it’s always been the responsibility of the states to administer elections.” Senate Majority Leader John Thune also expressed skepticism, saying that he’s “not in favor of federalizing elections.”

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt recently said she refused to rule out U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents being at polling locations during November’s midterm elections, according to news reports.

Leavitt said it was not something she had heard the president consider, but added: “I can’t guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location in November.”

Federal and state laws prohibit the government from deploying federal agents to any polling place, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Federal law also prohibits any activity that intimidates voters.

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Another news story related to the midterms involves the FBI inviting state election officials to discuss preparations for the midterm election.

According to NBC News, “The invitation to the FBI midterm election meeting, which was first reported by Crooked Media and confirmed to NBC News by an election official who received it, is scheduled for Feb. 25. It will include the FBI, the departments of Justice and Homeland Security, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Election Assistance Commission.”

The invitation was sent recently, according to the election official, and was signed by Kellie M. Hardiman, who identified herself as an “FBI Election Executive.” A LinkedIn page for Hardiman says she was appointed seven months ago.

The official who was invited and requested anonymity to speak candidly called it “unusual and unexpected,” adding that they planned to attend and believed officials from all states were invited.

“No one has heard of this person — and we’re all wondering what an ‘FBI Election Executive’ is,” the official added.

The invitation said it was to “discuss preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff.”

According to a Feb. 5 NBC News report, “An FBI spokesperson said, “The Election Executive is not a new role. There have been designated executives in previous election cycles to take point on coordinating election related matters and speaking on behalf of the FBI. The FBI has conducted outreach in prior cycles through groups like the National Association of Secretaries of States and participated in threat overview briefs with federal partners.”