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Democrats are gearing up for potential legal battles over next week's midterm election results as the Trump administration targets voting practices in several states. The Justice Department has taken action in Alaska, California, and Washington, while President Donald Trump has expressed concerns about possible fraud in Minnesota's Senate race. Trump stated he would respect the midterm results "if they're honest elections," according to The Hill.
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) has expanded its voter protection operation to more than 35 states and created an in-house litigation team to counter the administration's efforts. DNC spokesman Angelo Fernández Hernández said, "We have grown our voter protection program, with staff based in more than 35 states to train and support election observers all across the country."
In Alaska, the DOJ filed a lawsuit that could block the certification of results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses reelection, arguing that a win for former Rep. Mary Peltola could result from voter confusion with third candidate Dan J. Sullivan on the ballot. Meanwhile, in California, a federal appeals court blocked the DOJ from making election officials set aside 20,000 ballots it claimed were from non-citizen voters.
The Trump administration's actions have raised concerns among Democrats that it could challenge election results if the GOP sees widespread victories. Former Attorney General Eric Holder criticized the administration's approach, saying, "They're just throwing all of this stuff out there in an attempt to discourage people from believing in the system," as reported by News from the States.
In response, Democrats have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, accusing it of intimidating election officials and asking a federal court to block interference in the midterms. The lawsuit argues that the administration's demands impose on states' constitutional authority to manage and oversee their election process.
The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and other party leaders have requested a restraining order to halt the administration's actions. "Simply put, Defendants are premising their unlawful demands against States and election officials on fundamentally flawed lists that pose an unacceptably high risk of disenfranchising U.S. citizens," the Democrats stated, according to Democracy Docket.