Why It Matters
Election officials and voting rights advocates are bracing for a surge in voter eligibility challenges as the 2026 midterm elections approach. The Brennan Center for Justice says the coordinated effort could suppress votes and erode public confidence in election integrity, even though most challenges historically fail.
What Happened
The Brennan Center for Justice released a report warning that mass voter challenges are likely to accelerate in the 2026 midterm elections. The organization found that private citizens filed more than 185,000 challenges to voter eligibility in 2024, though the actual number may be higher due to incomplete official responses from some jurisdictions.
Andrew Garber, a researcher cited in the Brennan Center’s analysis, characterized the trend as a coordinated strategy: “Mass voter challenges have become a key element in the campaign to use election integrity as a pretext for voter suppression.” He added that these challenges have become an “integral strategy in the playbook to undermine the democratic process” heading into the midterm cycle.
The Trump administration has amplified pressure on states to scrutinize voter rolls. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin last week alleged that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens were registered in California, New Jersey, Nevada, and Pennsylvania—claims election officials disputed. Mullin also threatened to prosecute election officials in states that fail to “participate in securing the elections” before November’s midterms.
The president has demanded Congress require proof of citizenship for voter registration and photo identification at polling places. The SAVE America Act, which would impose these requirements, remains stalled in the Senate.
By the Numbers
185,232 — private citizen voter challenges filed in states studied during 2024
5,477 — challenges officials accepted in 2024
3 percent — proportion of challenges clearly accepted
875,000 — Georgia voters contacted in 2023 for having moved or not voting for several years
42 — state and local government entities from which the Brennan Center requested public records
Recent Precedent
Mass voter challenge efforts surfaced in several states during the 2022 cycle. In Georgia, Michigan, Texas, Florida, and Iowa, coordinated challenges were filed but widely rejected for lacking evidence or failing to comply with state law. Georgia’s experience illustrates the scale of the phenomenon: officials contacted approximately 875,000 voters in 2023 who had changed addresses or had not voted recently, yet the number of successful challenges brought against those voters the following year was more than one hundred times lower.
Zoom Out
Mass voter challenges represent a relatively new phenomenon driven by improved election technology and greater transparency around voter registration data. Changes in election administration have made it possible for organized groups to challenge thousands of voters simultaneously—a tactic that differs substantially from historical voter suppression efforts, which often targeted people of color through administrative means.
Experts worry that even unsuccessful challenges can undermine confidence in elections. Eligible voters facing challenges sometimes choose not to vote rather than navigate the confusing process of resolving their eligibility status. Though mass challenges have rarely succeeded historically, election officials say their rolls are accurate and up to date, and no evidence of widespread fraud in the 2020 election has been substantiated by independent audits or court proceedings.
The Brennan Center compiled its report by sending public records requests to nine states—Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas—as well as numerous counties within those states. Some officials declined to provide records or reported receiving no challenges.
What’s Next
Election administrators are preparing for an influx of challenges as the midterm cycle intensifies. The Brennan Center’s findings are expected to inform state and federal policymakers about the scope and scope of the challenge phenomenon. A related case involving a South Dakota lawmaker facing plea negotiations in an election fraud matter underscores the ongoing scrutiny of election processes in the region, while South Dakota’s recent convention vote replacing the incumbent Secretary of State with a hand-count advocate reflects broader state-level divisions over election administration practices.