HUNT VALLEY, Md. (TNND) — Senate Democrats, who are only a few seats away from retaking the majority, launched a program Thursday to train congressional staff for election observer roles ahead of the competitive November midterms.
Recruited Capitol Hill employees will be instructed to document any effort to interfere with voters, as well as threats against poll workers and the spread of misinformation, Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Alex Padilla announced. President Donald Trump and some congressional Republicans with a history of rejecting election results have spent months trying to change voting procedures based off false claims.
“Donald Trump is trying to poison trust in the 2026 elections before a single vote is cast—but Senate Democrats will not let him intimidate voters, threaten fair elections, or meddle with the will of the people,” Schumer said in a statement. “Our elections are safe and secure, and voters deserve confidence that their voices will be heard and their votes will be counted.”
The observers will be trained on election administration practices and “appropriate” conduct at polling sites before traveling to any of the 35 states with Senate races, according to the Democrats. They’re describing the program as a nonpartisan effort to inform the chamber of potential electoral misconduct by Republicans looking to secure their grip on Congress.
“Donald Trump is attacking the 2026 midterm elections because he fears he cannot win on his agenda,” Padilla said in a statement.
Trump has falsely claimed for years that the 2020 presidential election, which he lost to Joe Biden, was rigged against him. Since retaking office, he has pushed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would heavily restrict mail-in voting and require ID at the polls. Electoral fraud, the president claims, may cause an unpopular Republican Party to lose its place at the top of Capitol Hill.
“Senate Majority Leader John Thune, and the Republican Senate, must not let this ‘carnage’ happen,” Trump wrote in a recent Truth Social post, in which he warned of future Democratic dominance. “They will go down on the wrong side of History, as will all Republicans who just stood by and watched. The Republican Party isn’t at stake, our Country is.”
Studies have found mail-in ballots to be secure and that noncitizen voting is rare. Former Attorney General Bill Barr, who served in the first Trump administration, also failed to find any evidence of widespread fraud during the 2020 election.
Do you have questions, concerns or tips? Send them to Ray at rjlewis@sbgtv.com.
