Listen To This Story

In what must sound like a broken record to Americans who aren’t paying a whole lot of attention to what is going on in their country, election integrity experts, historians, and political scientists have been saying for a decade now (with the exception of the 2022 midterms) that the next election is the most important in recent US history.

Contrary to what people who aren’t paying any attention and know nothing about history may think, they are not crying wolf.

It’s kinda like playing Russian Roulette. The next pull of the trigger is always the most consequential. And that is really an apt analogy, because Americans have been gambling with their country’s future. 

In 2016, they got their first opportunity to stop a wannabe authoritarian from taking power. Thanks in no small part to an inept Democratic Party, the Electoral College, and some Russian interference, they wasted it.

There were other reasons, of course. The mainstream media had no idea how to deal with a compulsive liar at the top of a presidential ticket and decided to just let him do his thing because that was good for business. 

It also helped that a right-wing propaganda machine had managed to create a post-truth reality for conservatives.

Two years later, voters got it right and handed Democrats control of the House of Representatives in an effort to curb the power of Donald Trump. 

In 2020, Americans really knocked it out of the park. In response to Trump killing tens of thousands of them by bungling the response to the COVID-19 pandemic (and all other kinds of craziness and chaos), they sent him packing. One result was an unsuccessful coup attempt and a violent attack on Congress.

Then, in 2022, there was a respite from the “most important election in our lifetime” talk… and voters responded by giving control of the House to a bunch of MAGA yahoos who proceeded to do little more than investigate Hunter Biden and fight among themselves. 

And, of course, Americans gave Trump a second chance last year for a number of reasons, some more obvious than others: Joe Biden’s stubborn refusal to make way for a qualified candidate (i.e., one not in apparent physical and mental decline) until it was too late; an ill-timed global surge in inflation; a desire among a disheartening large cohort of Americans to give fascism a shot; the bro-ification of politics, and the obscenely wealthy Elon Musk.

To be sure, there were some other reasons as well. In the end, Trump’s authoritarian message simply resonated better with low-information voters, such as Fox News viewers, dudes who like Joe Rogan and performative masculinity, Hispanics who didn’t believe that their undocumented friends and family members would be deported, and anybody who thought that one of the country’s most pressing concerns is whether a handful of trans kids should be stopped from playing sports in high school. 

And here we are.

Now, if you don’t believe that these elections were the most important in anybody’s lifetime (even Joe Biden’s), then you may want to take a look at what the US has become since 2016. 

The country went from an imperfect but inclusive democracy to, at best, a competitive authoritarian state. 

And this is just six months into Trump’s term. There is no telling what he will have turned the country into by the end of his presidency, which is supposed to end in early 2029… but, at this point, we wouldn’t bet on it.

However, we don’t want to look that far ahead, but rather just 15 months into the future when — you guessed it — the most consequential election of our lifetime awaits. 

The 2026 midterms will decide whether Trump can continue his unrestrained power grab or whether voters will send a message to Republicans that they are not on board with turning the country into a right-wing griftocracy and put in place one of those checks the Founding Fathers intended… even if it’s just a re-energized bunch of House Democrats.

At least we hope so. If Republicans get their way in the next 15 months, it may not be that much of an election. And, while their previous efforts to put their thumbs on the scales of democracy were more subtle, they aren’t shy about it anymore. 

On the one hand, there are the White House’s own efforts to make future elections a slam dunk for the GOP. 

For example: Earlier this year, Trump issued an executive order that would hand the federal government unprecedented control over elections and, according to the Brennan Center for Justice, “could disenfranchise millions of American citizens, compromise the security of sensitive personal data, and disrupt election administration across the country.”

Last month, the administration began sending letters to states that demand access to voter registration lists and other information. 

Undoubtedly, some of this data will be used to relitigate the 2020 election, as Trump has still not gotten over his loss to Biden. However, the unsubstantiated allegations of fraud in that election are now also being used as a justification for changing the way the country votes — all to the benefit of the GOP. 

And it’s not just the federal government. 

Perhaps the most blatant attempt to rig the midterms is happening in Texas right now, where Republicans are planning a mid-decade redistricting effort that they hope will net them five congressional seats and protect their narrow majority in the House. 

Chances are that other states will follow, including some blue states that want to balance things out. 

In the past, we have been outspoken against any form of gerrymandering, both from Democrats and Republicans. It is a scourge on democracy, has made Washington much more partisan, and prevents voters from being fairly represented in a variety of states. 

In this case, however, we have to encourage Democrats to take the gloves off and fight fire with fire.

They cannot afford to sit idly by while Trump and his Republicans are passing laws and taking steps to disenfranchise entire demographics that are likely to vote for Democrats.

However, the Democrats will join this fight at a severe disadvantage.

The GOP’s effort to subvert the will of the people has been years and even decades in the making. They are aided by a Supreme Court that is as hostile to voting rights as it is supportive of allowing wealthy Americans to spend billions of dollars to influence elections. 

Going up against this well-oiled machine – led by a president who does not feel bound by the Constitution or the country’s laws – will be a daunting task. 

It will be up to everybody who values democracy to do their part. 

We at WhoWhatWhy promise to continue our efforts to bring you award-winning coverage of attempts to subvert your  constitutionally protected right to free and fair elections. 

If you have an issue related to election integrity that you would like us to cover, or you have some insight into such issues, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@whowhatwhy.org.