Nationalized Elections – February 3, 2026

A few quotes to start this conversation. All from Trump from an interview aired Monday, podcast conducted by Dan Bongino, the former deputy director of the FBI, appointed by Trump, assuming with Kash Patel in the loop, to be that second-in-command. He had just recently stepped down to return to the media.

In no particular order…

• “The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places.”
• “We have states that are so crooked and they’re counting votes.”
• “We have states that I won, that show I didn’t win.”
• “You’re going to see some interesting things come out.”

The last quote in reference to the FBI obtaining a search warrant, then raiding, and then seizing voting records from an election office in Fulton County, Georgia just this last week.

Georgia arguably being the epicenter of Trump’s largely baseless claims of a “rigged elections,” the same state where Trump called Brad Raffensperger over the outcome of the state’s election. In that hour or so long call post the 2020 results process, with multiple people on the line while being recorded, it gave us the infamous line from Trump saying “I just want to find 11,780 votes.”

As all that sinks in.

A question of ability, can the Federal Government step in and “take over” State ran elections?

Short answer is no.

The long answer is the fine line between running an election state to state and regulating what the states can and cannot do.

US Constitution, Article 1, Section 4

“The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators.

The Congress shall assemble at least once in every Year, and such Meeting shall be on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by Law appoint a different Day.“

State level legislatures are the default body responsible for deciding how federal elections are run in their state. Congress at the federal level is the final word on law regarding federal elections with capability to supersede any state law that may be conflicting.

Said another way, States run federal elections and the Federal Government via legislation is the regulatory body.

There is no room, no Constitutional room, for the Federal Government to “take over the voting.” No matter how much any President debates the results of a given state or states results, including when appealing to conspiracy theory that has been widely debunked over the years since 2020.

By various polling the minority of the nation still holds the belief that Joe Biden was not the legitimate winner of the 2020 election. Numbers of course vary by political affiliation and leans, news media source influence notwithstanding, but over all the majority of the nation has moved on from this subject.

It appears Trump wants this to continue to be a question for voters as we approach the midterms, in recent history using this tactic has unified those that lean right up to the most loyal MAGA Republican. But it has also worked in influencing states in the hands of Republicans to go with as much process as possible making it as difficult as possible to vote. Arguably, of course.

A question of motives, why would a President call for nationalized elections in that context?

The answer becomes a matter of motivations and ethics.

An interest in “free and fair” elections becomes the standard answer, an interest in the assurance of an outcome is the other. Because those are likely adversarial motives, in every context, it becomes difficult to apply the ole “two things can be true at one time” principle to this conversation.

In evaluating those quotes above it appears this is largely about clinging to what can only be a conspiracy theory at this point about a 2020 election loss, and for someone like Trump driven by zero-sum mentality the sting of that loss must still be pretty strong. Truth Social has plenty of back and forth on this continuing to bring to life that a massive conspiracy theory kept Trump from back-to-back election wins.

That election alone resulted in numerous lawsuits, chaos in a few states, new laws in various states changing how elections are ran including more restrictions and voter roll purges, and a few prominent attorneys for Trump that can no longer practice law over actions taken. Even a few civil suits against a few in the Trump camp that arguably put others in danger.

The motives then are rather clear, ensure the midterms are not the “shellacking” that it is already shaping up to be.

And the target appears to be you as the voter, just as your information in Georgia is now in the hands of a vengeful President there is now calls for all of it (maybe) to end up in the hands of the Federal Government to sort out.

So what is coming up for Republicans?

A strong argument now exists that the quiet part is being said out loud.

From Trump down to Congressional leadership, including a very supporting right leaning media platform, in that the the midterms are looking like a real problem for Republicans and by extension what the last 2 years of Trump’s Administration and legacy will look like. So the general concern for Republicans is addressing the what part of the can be done question.

Us. vs. them mixed with zero-sum mentality potentially means the “them” part might win, Trump of course does not want an inquisitive Congress to deal with next year and forward.

Just about everything would surface, assuming Congressional control is in the hands of Democrats, it is likely many of Trump’s Administration would be hauled to the hill and explain their actions and activities. It could result in a third, you read that right, possible impeachment of Trump by the next House.

An argument could be made that instead of investigations in search of a crime to deal with opposition, we might just might see a return of crimes actually being investigated perpetuated by those with a whole lot to protect.

Possible Conclusion

The possible risks to Trump directly of a midterm loss to the next Congress being partially controlled or entirely controlled by Democrats are enough so that the panic may be settling in.

It is worth noting, midterm election results are handled different than an election including a Presidential race result. Unlike presidential elections, which require a joint session of Congress to count electoral votes as the certification step, the certification of House and Senate races happens entirely at the state level.

That means a few things. Usually the Secretary of State, but sometimes a state board, issues a formal Certificate of Election. That is what proves a member-elect has the right to take their seat in the next Congress, House or Senate.

Article 1, Section 5, Clause 1 stipulates that “Each House shall be the Judge of the Elections, Returns and Qualifications of its own Members, and a Majority of each shall constitute a Quorum to do Business; but a smaller Number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the Attendance of absent Members, in such Manner, and under such Penalties as each House may provide.”

Meaning, the Certificate of Election ultimately lands in the hands of The President of the Senate (currently VP Vance) and the Clerk of the House (currently Kevin McCumber.) How the oath is handled varies from Senate to House, and often comes with informal processes that skirt the often yearbook rules. But, for this conversation there is where the Federal Government, a President, may decide to strike questioning “election integrity.”

Now, this happens far more than is reported by ole mainstream media.

In the past 50 years, roughly 110 Certificates of Election, for House and Senate seats, for the next Congress were challenged by a current Congress at the time. Still less than 1% of overall results , but know that every single Congress in the past 50 years had at least one challenged Certificate of Election. The current 119th Congress had some 4 seats challenged, the prior 118th Congress had 3 seats challenged, and lastly the prior 117th Congress had 2 seats challenged.

This is not uncommon.

Now, most of these were dismissed, cooler heads prevailed and those elected took their seats but the idea of shenanigans is wide open for the taking. The point being the mechanism is there and could be exploited assuming a few changes as outlined, from the hip, by a sitting President doing a podcast interview.

Alternatives, for consideration.

No matter if you are a steadfast MAGA Republican, a militant Liberal, or with the rest of us somewhere in the middle, at the end of the day your power to vote should be exercised. No matter the difficulties, the hurdles to jump over, the possibility off all your data in a President’s hands to exploit, the more that vote the more likely the true political pulse of the nation is realized through representation.

Does not mean ole ‘D and ‘R will do, or not do, everything promised and it does not mean sunshine and roses for all. No reason to be naive, the political bubbles of Democrats and Republicans on the hill is well shielded and well funded.

It just means that “nationalized elections” are no more certain for voter integrity with Federal “nationalization” of the vote than it is with wide open unregulated voting, the former being entirely anti-Constitutional the the latter we do not even have anyway.

36 or something states require some form of ID to vote (in person, of course, other means may be deployed including ID for mail in or other vote mechanisms.) Once you get into the areas of “strict” or “non-strict” you end up in the quagmire of political perceptions of what is and is not in place. The venn diagram of not liking a state’s controls and not liking the results of a given election effectively means you are looking at a single circle these days, but that does not necessarily mean “non-strict” states are doing something wrong contrary to the political rhetoric and hype.

That said the 2024 election was the most litigated in all of US history, over 300 election related lawsuits filed both “pre-election” rules base challenges and “post-election” results challenges. Most legal action for 2024 was in the pre-election category as compared to 2020 where the overwhelming majority of lawsuits was in the post-election results category. That should be shocking, but not really when thinking about who was running against who in 2020 then again in 2024.

And just about all of them did not result in much of note, including 2020, which is to say actual results did not change.

That does not mean fall asleep at the wheel now.

Your vote still counts and still matters, regardless of the intention to “nationalize” the process for scrutiny by a President still talking about the 2020 loss.

Speaking of, scrutinize this conversation thoroughly, question everything said here as well as stats and interpretations. Go back and review the news pre and post 2020, then again pre and post 2024, as to get all the context as to why suddenly with less than a year away from the next Congress being seated, that a current President wants to rip from the states, or whatever “15 places” means, control over the vote and how Certification of Election documents are produced.

If you are following this train of thought consider: It is not about a President seizing more means from the states in order to manufacture ammunition for a current Congress to act against the seating of the next Congress, this may be about insurance that it never gets that far. In this case, the possibility of a Federal Government determining it does not even like the results state to state and decides on its own outcome.

And no matter who you vote for, in that context, you still lose.