Sen. Alex Padilla (D-CA) said President Donald Trump will take any action necessary to interfere with the 2026 [1] midterm elections.
The warning comes as the administration asks the Supreme Court to revive portions of an executive order that would restrict mail-in voting. Because mail-in ballots are a primary tool for voter access, these legal challenges could reshape how millions of Americans cast their votes in the upcoming cycle.
Padilla said Trump is "fixated" on mail-in voting despite a lack of widespread evidence regarding fraud. He said the president will do anything to interfere with the midterm elections [2].
In response to these developments, Padilla introduced the SHIELD Our Elections Act. This legislation is designed to strengthen protections against federal election interference [3]. The senator said federal safeguards are necessary to prevent the executive branch from manipulating the election process to favor a specific outcome.
Trump has consistently questioned the validity of mail-in voting, leading to the current legal push to limit its use. The administration's request to the Supreme Court seeks to reinstate restrictions that had previously been blocked or limited, a move that critics say targets specific voting populations.
Padilla's efforts to pass the SHIELD Our Elections Act aim to create a statutory barrier against such executive orders. By codifying protections, the act seeks to ensure that state-led voting processes remain insulated from federal intervention [3].
“Trump is "fixated" on mail‑in voting.”
The conflict represents a fundamental struggle over the control of election administration between the federal executive branch and state-level voting laws. If the Supreme Court revives the administration's executive order, it could set a precedent allowing the presidency to override state voting procedures, potentially altering the turnout and results of the 2026 midterms.
