John,

The 2026 midterm elections are less than a year and a half away, and they may be at risk.

Since the beginning of his second term, Donald Trump has taken steps to put his thumb on the balance of a free and fair elections for 2026. Some of the actions he has taken include:¹

• Issuing an executive order to force states to require proof of citizenship when people register or update their voter registration. Federal courts have blocked parts of this. This type of policy stokes fear among eligible immigrant voters who rightfully worry about discrimination, intimidation, or retaliation. The documentation requirements will make voting harder for many people, especially for people with low incomes, who are disproportionately people of color, older, or with disabilities. Beyond voter suppression, it signals a broader assault on democracy itself—one that seeks to exclude entire communities from having a voice in the future of this country.

• Weaponizing federal agencies to look for widespread voter fraud — which doesn’t exist.

• Doing everything in his power to disable the federal election protection system, including penalizing law firms that work on voter rights cases.

These attacks on the fundamental principles of our democracy cannot go unanswered. Chip in $5 to help us continue our work of defending democracy.

We do not live in an oligarchy — a society ruled by a chosen, wealthy few — but with these attacks on voting rights, it may come to that.

Since the 2020 election, 30 states enacted 79 voter restrictions.³

If we want to protect and strengthen our free and fair, multiracial democracy, we must start with fighting back against these attacks on our voting rights and electoral systems.

Donate $5 today to help power our work.

Thank you for all you do,

Dominique Espinoza
Policy and Strategic Partnerships Manager, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Trump and his allies mount a pressure campaign against US elections ahead of the midterms
² The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election
³ State Voting Laws

-- DEBORAH'S EMAIL --

John,

Our democracy is under attack.

According to the U.S. Constitution, Congress has the power of the purse - the authority to approve funding for programs it chooses to support. But the Trump administration has frozen funds appropriated by Congress, recklessly disregarding the law.

According to the U.S. Constitution, only Congress can set election laws, but Donald Trump and his politicized Department of Justice are doing everything in their power to undermine Congressional authority. Earlier this year, the DOJ dropped three lawsuits — begun in the Biden administration — that aimed to protect the rights of voters of color in Southern states.¹

Federal law protects the confidentiality of data compiled by the IRS, voting information, and much more. Despite this, the Trump administration is seeking data intended to identify immigrants. And recently, the DOJ has asked state election officials for access to sensitive voter data.²

These actions are reckless and meant to intimidate, but we will not be intimidated. Rush a donation of $5 to fund our pro-democracy programs.

After losing the 2020 election, Donald Trump refused to concede and promulgated a conspiracy theory that the election had been stolen due to “massive voter fraud.” None of this was based in reality, but that didn’t stop his supporters from storming the Capitol, after which he granted clemency, pardoned, or commuted sentences for all of those convicted or awaiting trial as one of his first acts of office in 2025.

Now, the Trump administration is freezing funds, dismantling programs, and firing workers, disregarding laws passed by Congress. Just one example: the Government Accountability Office (GAO) recently ruled that the Trump administration had illegally refused to release funds for approved National Institutes of Health grants.³ It is abducting immigrants without regard to due process, deporting people despite court orders to protect them, and attempting to punish opponents, including public employee unions.

Our democracy is at its most fragile point since the Civil War. We cannot let authoritarianism and anti-democratic forces win. The Coalition on Human Needs is working to fight back - encouraging people across the nation to stand up for democracy, demanding that human needs programs get the funding Congress approves, fighting against violations of human rights, and holding Congress accountable to assert its authority against a scofflaw administration. Will you donate $HPC today to help us fuel our work to defend democracy and justice?

Thank you for all you do,

Deborah Weinstein
Executive Director, Coalition on Human Needs

¹ Under Trump, the Justice Department is stepping away from some voting rights cases
² The Justice Department seeks voter and election information from at least 19 states, AP finds
³ Trump administration violated impoundment law by canceling NIH grants, slowing new awards, GAO finds