Memo to election deniers everywhere: Hands off our votes | Opinion

The November midterm elections may feel distant, but attempts to shape election administration and control outcomes are already here. The past six years, dating to the 2020 election, have laid out the blueprint for 2026 before our very eyes. 

History shows us that efforts by election deniers who dared to sabotage our free and democratic elections were not isolated occurrences.

For example, Wisconsin elections commissioner Bob Spindell signed documents in December 2020 falsely claiming that then-candidate Donald Trump won the state for the presidency against the will of voters. Nearly 2,000 miles away in Nevada, Storey County Clerk Jim Hindle took part in a similar effort. 

Today, these individuals remain in their positions of power and influence how elections are run and determined. Their past actions, along with those of many others, raise major concerns about how we decide our future, choose our leaders and ensure that the will of the people prevails at the polls.

The past is a prelude to election interference

The lack of accountability continues. The former Mesa County clerk in Colorado, Tina Peters, was recently granted clemency despite conspiring with allies of President Trump to “breach voting systems” based on lies about the 2020 election. The Department of Justice's announcement about a $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded account to give payouts to those "who suffered weaponization and lawfare" has led to predictions of big payouts to Jan. 6, 2021, rioters at the U.S. Capitol. 

With an administration embracing authoritarian tactics, as well as state-level enablers, election deniers have continued to set the stage to keep people from voting, seize more power and interfere in and control our elections.

There's an obsessive crusade for our states’ voter rolls. Calls to nationalize elections in certain places where they don’t like previous election outcomes. The maniacal preoccupation with voting machines and hand counting.

Backed by misinformation and baseless conspiracy theories about stolen elections, election denier attacks have only escalated.

The White House is weaponizing executive orders. The U.S. Departments of Justice and Homeland Security are making demands for state voter rolls to likely challenge eligible voters en masse.

Trump’s cronies in state government continue their attempts to take away our freedom to vote with restrictive anti-voter bills and their own versions of the SAVE Act, also known as “show your papers” bills and voter elimination acts.

Election deniers fear the power of the people

Election deniers are attempting to give their friends the power to prevent us from voting. As November approaches, the threats will only intensify, causing more chaos, more confusion and more attempts to seize power at any cost, against the will of the people.

We’ve seen that most recently with redistricting battles, with one of the most notable led by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who proposed a new map in his state that would dilute Black and Brown voters’ voices to an unprecedented new level.

But we can respond. Our response is our power. 

We must name the major and most dangerous election deniers. For example, at the federal level there is President Trump and people in the Justice Department, such as Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon. Dillon recently demanded 2024 federal election ballots and records from Wayne County, Michigan.

There’s also Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity Heather Honey, who was recently granted access to 2020 voter data. We must also look closely at the state and local election deniers.

Look for signs of attempts to undermine the electoral process

Examples of resistance against election denialism include: secretaries of state pushing back against the DOJ’s demands to acquire voter rolls, state lawmakers opposing agendas that support the federal government taking over elections that have always been run successfully by state election workers, clerks protecting ballots and voters’ private information from getting into the hands of election deniers, and more.

It is on us to support actions such as these that hold the line. We have stopped these attacks before, and we can do it again in 2026 and beyond. 

We must also confidently affirm that the election systems in place now, led by trusted election officials, are safeguarded. And we must support actions that defend elections and, most important, our election officials, who are yet again facing another high-stakes election year. 

By naming the deniers, calling out their interference in our elections and supporting resistance against their actions, we can prevent them from taking away our freedom to vote.

Finally, we must call on our elected leaders to reject the tactics by this election-denying regime trying to keep our neighbors from voting based on their race, ability and what’s in their wallets ‒ because every voter has an equal say in the decisions that impact our lives. 

There is no doubt: Election deniers’ tactics to keep us from voting will continue to fail, and they’ll only try harder. But, at every turn, election deniers will have to face the people whose power they are trying to take away.

At every turn, they should hear our resounding voices saying: Hands off our votes!

Cynthia Travieso is the executive vice president for state campaigns and programs at All Voting is Local.