# Trump's election agenda faces court hurdles as midterms loom  
**Published:** 2026-05-11T12:25:03.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/11/repub/trump-so-far-failing-in-quest-for-power-over-elections-as-midterms-approach/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/trump-s-election-agenda-faces-court-hurdles-as-midterms-loom

President Donald Trump's aggressive push to reshape U.S. election administration has achieved far less than he envisioned with November's midterm elections just six months away, according to a [recent analysis](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/11/repub/trump-so-far-failing-in-quest-for-power-over-elections-as-midterms-approach/).

Trump has pursued multiple strategies to assert federal control over elections, including social media posts demanding action, pressure campaigns on Republican lawmakers and Department of Justice litigation. Yet courts have blocked or stalled most of his initiatives, state election officials from both parties have resisted, and key Republican senators have refused to support his legislative agenda.

The SAVE America Act, which would require voters to prove citizenship, remains stalled in the Senate despite Trump's repeated public demands. Federal courts have blocked an executive order Trump signed mandating proof-of-citizenship requirements. An executive order restricting mail voting, signed in March, faces five federal lawsuits with a courtroom showdown scheduled for this week in Washington.

"There's a vast chasm between wanting to do something and trying to do something and actually successfully doing it," said David Becker, executive director of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation & Research.

The Justice Department has filed 30 lawsuits demanding that states and the District of Columbia release sensitive voter data, but has not secured a single court victory. A bipartisan group of state secretaries of state is fighting those requests in court. Only 13 Republican states have provided the information.

This issue has local implications for Nebraska voters. [Nebraska's voter rolls were turned over to the Department of Justice](https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5735251-trump-administration-voter-data/) following a Nebraska Supreme Court ruling that backed the Trump administration, with Secretary of State Bob Evnen sending private voter data including names, dates of birth, partial Social Security numbers and addresses to federal authorities in February.

Despite the current setbacks, election experts warn that conditions could escalate before November. Trump could attempt bolder moves to control elections if he faces likely Republican losses, and the Justice Department could intensify raids on election officials' offices like the [FBI seizure of 2020 ballots from Fulton County, Georgia](https://georgiarecorder.com/briefs/fulton-county-officials-file-lawsuit-seeking-return-of-2020-ballots-taken-during-fbi-raid/).

Local election officials have vowed resistance. "This whole thing is designed to harass, intimidate and chill participation in our election process," said Robb Pitts, chair of the Fulton County Board of Commissioners. "It's not going to work."

Some Democratic-led states are preparing safeguards. New Mexico lawmakers passed a bill making obstruction of polling places a felony and prohibiting the military or armed federal personnel from polling locations.

White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said Trump remains committed to ensuring accurate voter rolls and that "anyone breaking the law will be held accountable."

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/11/repub/trump-so-far-failing-in-quest-for-power-over-elections-as-midterms-approach/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/11/repub/trump-so-far-failing-in-quest-for-power-over-elections-as-midterms-approach/.