In May and June, the Brennan Center conducted a series of tabletop exercises to explore what an authoritarian presidential administration might do to democracy — and what defenders of democracy could do in response. Brennan Center senior adviser Bart Gellman co-led sessions that brought together 175 people from across the political spectrum with high-level experience in government, the military, and other sectors of society. The exercises suggested that our system of checks and balances is vulnerable to abuses of executive power but that preparations can be made now to improve the resilience of democracy and the rule of law.

The Voting Rights Act, signed into law 59 years ago this month, has been essential in defending communities of color from unfair voting practices. Yet in recent years, Supreme Court decisions have weakened this landmark legislation and states have enacted a wave of policies that make it harder to vote, especially for minority groups. The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which narrowly failed to pass the Senate in 2022, is essential to restoring and strengthening voting rights protections.

Internal documents obtained by the Brennan Center reveal that the Atlanta Police Department has extensively monitored local residents’ political activities, including those opposing the controversial “Cop City” police training facility. The department’s surveillance covered a wide range of activities on social media — including harmless community events like study groups and pizza nights — far exceeding any legitimate public safety concerns. This intrusive monitoring threatens First Amendment rights and highlights the need for stronger guardrails around law enforcement’s use of social media.

President Biden’s exit from the 2024 presidential race sparked questions about whether Vice President Kamala Harris can use his campaign funds — a move that most experts say existing rules allow for. More to the point, this nonissue is drawing attention away from the real, enduring problems plaguing our campaign finance system that most Americans want elected leaders to solve.

As artificial intelligence technology rapidly evolves, states have responded with a surge of new laws. So far, lawmakers have focused mainly on the misuse of deepfakes in political communications around elections. Meanwhile, there is a notable lack of legislation addressing other democracy-related issues, including AI’s implications for voter suppression, election security, and election administration. A Brennan Center expert brief highlights this year’s trends in state regulation of AI and the need for lawmakers to focus on other ways this technology could harm democracy.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has done much to strengthen election security since 2018 by supporting and training election officials and continuously monitoring threats. But Project 2025 — the policy agenda for a conservative presidential administration — wants to end those efforts. The plan would slash the agency’s activities, leaving election systems more vulnerable to attacks. A Brennan Center expert brief explains what Project 2025 gets wrong about the federal government’s role in protecting elections.

The federal criminal cases against former President Trump for election interference and mishandling classified documents are facing serious challenges in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on presidential immunity. Brennan Center Senior Fellow Joyce Vance, a former U.S. attorney, offers insight into the obstacles and choices that Special Counsel Jack Smith now faces in pushing forward with the prosecutions.

It has been 50 years since President Richard Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal, which prompted a significant overhaul of campaign finance rules. Today, elections are once again dominated by massive spending by the ultra-wealthy and untraceable “dark money.” Renewed scrutiny of unregulated money’s corrosive role in our political system is long overdue.

Many have wondered if Donald Trump would be eligible to vote in Florida this fall after his felony conviction in New York. A new Brennan Center explainer says the answer is likely yes. But the complexity of determining his eligibility to vote highlights the confusing nature of Florida’s rules for restoring voting rights.