US President Donald Trump has renewed his push to overhaul how elections are run in the United States, urging Republicans to seek federal control of voting as his administration advances plans ahead of this year’s midterm elections.
In a televised interview aired on Monday, February 2, Trump argued that election administration should be taken out of the hands of individual states, insisting that Republicans should “nationalize the voting.” He claimed that ballot counting in several states is deeply flawed, describing some as “so crooked,” and again repeated assertions that he won states he officially lost claims that have not been backed by evidence.
His comments came shortly after federal agents searched an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia, an area central to Trump’s continued focus on the 2020 election. The search was linked to a Justice Department effort to secure election-related records as part of an investigation into alleged voter fraud.
Trump hinted that the Georgia case would soon uncover “interesting things,” suggesting that court approvals had allowed authorities access to ballots in the state.
Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard later confirmed that Trump personally instructed her to travel to Atlanta in relation to the operation. Sources familiar with the matter said she also connected the president with FBI agents involved in the search, describing the interaction as a short “pep talk.”
Elections in the US are traditionally organised by state and local governments, with the federal government playing only a limited supervisory role. Despite this structure, Trump has consistently advocated for broad national changes to voting procedures.
Last year, he signed an executive order seeking to mandate proof of US citizenship for voter registration and to stop states from counting mail-in ballots received after Election Day. Portions of the order have since been blocked by federal courts, and current law already prohibits non-citizens from voting in federal elections.
Trump has also repeatedly pledged to scrap mail-in voting and voting machines, which he claims enable fraud, though several of those promises remain unfulfilled. His administration has additionally supported a rare mid-decade redistricting push designed to strengthen Republican chances in the midterms.
At the same time, the Justice Department has filed lawsuits against more than 20 states in an effort to obtain complete voter rolls, including sensitive personal data, without presenting independent evidence to support claims that undocumented immigrants are affecting election outcomes.
Democratic election officials say they are now actively preparing for potential federal involvement during the midterms. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said state officials are discussing measures to safeguard voters and respond to possible federal demands for election data.
“This is now a legitimate planning category. It’s extraordinarily sad, but it would be irresponsible for us to disregard the possibility,” Simon said.
The developments have further deepened concerns about growing political pressure on the US electoral system as the midterm elections draw closer.
