§15 —
On the lists
Democrat
NOVEMBER
What the other side is building is November, one ruling and one map at a time. The first elections order's core was permanently blocked — a federal judge called it beyond the president's power 1. When Texas redrew five districts mid-decade, California answered with Proposition 50, passed by 64 percent and upheld over a federal challenge in January 2; the national seat math, as reported, lands close to a wash 3.
The record-keeping holds too: 44 restrictive laws in two years is a record, and the trackers publish every one with its effective date 4 — nine of them bind this November, which is the point of knowing.
Sources
- Federal court permanently blocks provisions of the March 2025 elections executive order — Elias Law Group, 14 January 2026 ↑
- Federal panel upholds California's Prop 50 maps over GOP and DOJ challenge — NPR, 14 January 2026 ↑
- Redistricting scoreboard: GOP and Democratic gains near a wash — NBC News, 10 July 2026 ↑
- State voting laws roundup: 12 restrictive laws in 9 states in 2026, a record two-year high — Brennan Center, 1 May 2026 ↑
Republican
LISTS
The project this cycle is lists. The Justice Department has demanded full voter files — Social Security digits included — from 48 states, and sued more than 30 that declined; judges in eight states have dismissed the demands as unlawful 1. The department's voting section, built to enforce the franchise, was down to roughly three attorneys by the middle of last year 2.
The second elections order — DHS "citizenship lists," new mail-ballot restrictions — is blocked for 23 states through November 3, so the administration is on the Supreme Court's emergency docket, filing again this month and pressing the justices to "act promptly" 3. Since April's Callais ruling raised the Voting Rights Act's bar, Louisiana has erased its second majority-Black district, and Tennessee followed with Memphis 4.
Sources
- Tracker: DOJ requests and lawsuits for state voter information — Brennan Center, 26 February 2026 ↑
- DOJ voting section has just three lawyers left, watchdog estimates — Democracy Docket, 20 May 2025 ↑
- Trump administration presses Supreme Court on mail-ballot restrictions as the midterm clock runs — Votebeat, 3 August 2026 ↑
- Louisiana v. Callais, decided 6-3; Louisiana's second majority-Black district erased weeks later — Supreme Court / Democracy Docket, 29 April 2026 ↑
“They asked forty-eight states for your Social Security number to protect the vote from you. The voting section would object, but there's three of them left and the phone keeps ringing.”
“The lists are for integrity. If your name falls off one, that's integrity working. You can always re-register, pending proof.”