With Election Day right around the corner, House Democrats are preparing for potential election threats from President Donald Trump's administration, while Texas voters remain concerned.
Representative Christian Menefee (D-TX) hosted a virtual discussion this week alongside Rep. Joe Morelle (D-NY) to address election security and voter intimidation concerns from Houston voters. The two Congressmen discussed how Democrats, election officials and civil rights organizations are taking extra steps to protect voters from potential federal interference in the midterm elections.
Rep. Menefee said the most asked question he hears on the ground is if Democrats “actually have a plan” if there is election tampering.
“What I heard is there is a team of folks within the House Democratic caucus, but also in the broader infrastructure of civil rights organizations, legal advocacy organizations that are staying on top of this stuff,” Rep. Menefee said.
Voters expressed several concerns, including Federal agents at polling places. Attorney General Todd Blanche said armed federal agents would not be deployed to polling places, but that “election monitors” would be.
“If people show up to the polling sites to intimidate, who are not supposed to be there, we will be in communication with lawyers to get action taken immediately,” Rep. Menefee said.
Rep. Morelle added that House Democrats have been assessing any potential threats to the midterms, working with attorneys, civil rights organizations, and election protection advocates across all 50 states to develop response strategies.
“We have been planning this for months and months,” Rep. Morelle said. “We came up with about 150 different threats that we felt were likely to come from the Trump administration.”
Rep. Morelle also highlighted a series of legal victories against Trump administration efforts to interfere with election administration, including attempts by the Department of Justice to obtain sensitive voter information from states. He assured Houston voters that Democrats will continue to advocate on their behalf.
“States are 27 and 0 against the Department of Justice's illegal attempts to force states to turn over their voter rolls,” he said. “Any team that goes 0 and 27… you'd think about maybe a different direction.”
With the Oct. 30 early voting deadline already approaching, Rep. Menefee said he encourages his constituents to make a plan to vote before then or on Election Day.
“Vote for whoever you want to vote for,” Rep. Menefee said. “But the important part is that if you're eligible to vote, you should vote.”
