Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

ICE never wanted you to see these: internal government documents obtained by legal nonprofit Democracy Forward show that Homeland Security Investigations has been probing nonpartisan groups that help register citizens to vote in battleground states. They even went so far as to outline a plan to use undercover agents to target these nonprofits for registering "illegal alien" voters, though no evidence of such activity appears to hav...

Less than 30 days before the midterms, Trump told a reporter that anyone looking for mail voting fraud should "start off by taking a look at California." Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias explains the real reason Trump is targeting the state: its 52 congressional seats could decide control of the House. Because California counts mail ballots for days after the election, Trump will have a window to lie about the results and try to...

Weeks before the midterms, election deniers on Georgia's election board quietly asked Trump's DOJ to intervene. Their letter is full of excuses: attacks on the state's voting machines, demands for last-minute software changes and unsubstantiated claims of "altered records." Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the excuses in the letter and why it fits Trump's long obsession with controlling how Georgia's votes are counte...

The Supreme Court ruled Friday that the Trump administration can once again use a flawed database to help Republicans purge eligible voters from the rolls, just weeks before the midterms. Some are calling it a partial win. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias sees a warning. He breaks down the footnote in the majority opinion that leaves the door open, the upcoming Supreme Court case that could slam it shut on voters and why he refu...

Have you ever wondered why bombastic right-wing content seems to travel further and faster on social media than tempered analysis and commentary? Podcaster and author David Pakman joins Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias to discuss how the algorithms that control what you see on YouTube and other platforms favor content that targets "scapegoats and enemies with pithy language," and why the next influencer in your feed might not be...

Democrats just sued to block Trump's latest voter intimidation efforts. The administration has been suggesting for months that they will deploy armed federal agents at polling places, even though federal law says it's a crime. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the lawsuit filed by Democratic leaders and explains why the threat matters even if Trump loses in court. The threat of federal agents at the polls serves to in...

For the 25th consecutive time, Donald Trump's Department of Justice has lost its case attempting to access sensitive voter data. With just over 40 days left until Election Day, Americans are thinking about how to afford the skyrocketing cost of living – but Donald Trump's only focus is disenfranchising voters in order to tilt the scales in his favor. In this video, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias explains why free and fai...

Donald Trump just did something extraordinary on stage at the RNC convention: he made Republicans raise their right hand and pledge to him personally — then pledge that they're going to "cheat like hell," whether they're registered to vote or not. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down why this moment matters and why it confirms what he's been warning for months: Trump's plan for the midterms isn't to win a fair figh...

A federal judge in Washington, D.C. — appointed by Donald Trump — just blocked the U.S. Postal Service's new mail-in voting rule, delivering another major setback to the administration's effort to restrict how Americans vote just 50 days before the midterms.
Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the ruling in DSCC v. Trump, handed down late Sunday by Judge Carl Nichols. This ruling is separate from the rela...

Donald Trump's Department of Justice just admitted, in its own words, what we have been saying for months: the U.S. Postal Service's new mail-in ballot rule could strip millions of Americans of their ability to vote by mail. In a brief filed with the U.S. Supreme Court, the DOJ acknowledged there is a "grave risk" that states won't be ready to comply if the rule takes effect for this year's midterms. Democracy Docket founder Marc E...

[11:35 AM]Less than two months before Election Day, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias lays out Donald Trump's blueprint to rig the 2026 midterms. An executive order could put the U.S. Postal Service in charge of deciding whether mail-in ballots get delivered at all. The Department of Justice has lost 23 straight lawsuits trying to seize state voter data. A rule change could disenfranchise thousands of voters over a single mismatc...

A bombshell whistleblower complaint, submitted to Sen. Richard Blumenthal's office, reveals that the U.S. Postal Service allegedly kept building a new system to restrict mail-in ballots even after federal courts ordered it to stop it. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the two major allegations: that USPS defied court orders while developing its new "Federal Ballot Mail Portal," and that the system is designed with a "...

With just over 60 days until the midterms, Donald Trump is still trying to weaponize the U.S. Postal Service against mail-in voters. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the legal fight playing out in federal courts in Massachusetts and Washington, D.C., including a temporary restraining order that's now being appealed. He also reads directly from the Department of Justice's own court filings, in which lawyers compare ma...

In a major win for free and fair elections, a federal judge blocked the U.S. Postal Service from enforcing key parts of Donald Trump’s anti-mail voting order. In this episode, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down Judge Indira Talwani’s critical ruling and reveals how it will impact the midterm elections. Plus, Marc explains why Trump’s refusal to accept the 2020 election results is at the heart of the b...

The Supreme Court just ruled that legal challenges to Donald Trump's anti-voting executive order were filed too soon, but the fight is just getting started. The U.S. Postal Service has since finalized a rule that could block your mail-in ballot unless your state hands over sensitive voter data to the federal government. In this episode, Democracy Docket's Marc Elias breaks down where the fight is headed next, from courts in Massach...