Larry Norden

The Trump Administration’s Campaign to Undermine the Next Election The executive branch is interfering in U.S. elections in unprecedented ways.

An important new analysis: we’re now seeing a strategy unfold to undermine the 2026 election. It’s unprecedented and often illegal. And it will be a big and growing story for the next year and a half. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Thread—important to understand how unprecedented this is.

The ultimate solution to the redistricting arms race is to pass federal laws banning partisan gerrymandering and strengthening the Voting Rights Act. 2/

Opinion | You May Not Be Trump’s Target This Time. But You Could Be Next.

You May Not Be Trump’s Target This Time. But You Could Be Next. www.nytimes.com/2025/07/27/o...

How States Can Fill Election Security Gaps Left by Federal Cuts From cybersecurity assessments and training to coordination with law enforcement agencies, state governments need to provide wide-ranging support to ensure smooth and secure elections.

More from my colleague Derek Tisler on what states can do to fill the election security gaps created by federal cuts. This is a *now* problem to be solved. Waiting until a few months before the midterms will be far too late. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians v. Howe The full Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals declined to rehear a case that ended the ability of voters in seven states to protect themselves from racially discriminatory voting practices by suing under S...

Today, SCOTUS put a hold on the 8th Circuit's terrible decision in the Turtle Mountain case, which held that private plaintiffs can't sue under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. This is good news. It revives the VRA at least temporarily while SCOTUS considers whether to take the case.

Interesting new study from researchers at the UW Center for an Informed Public finds that AI-generated persuasive messaging (AI-Pasta) is more effective in key ways (e.g. creating a false sense of consensus) and harder to detect than traditional CopyPasta.

**To clarify my point on the Plan's call for agencies to expand their use of AI, the key is the need for *enforceable* guidelines, as we saw in an earlier Biden Executive Order. A requirement to abide by such guidelines is critical to protect Americans’ rights and privacy.

Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.

1/ Yesterday, the Trump administration announced its AI Action Plan - a pillar of which is an executive order that vows to end federal procurement of “woke AI.” The order would not only chill speech but also make the technology more unreliable and untrustworthy.

www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

American elections face varied and unpredictable risks, highlighting the need for resilient election infrastructure. In our latest report with @rstreet.bsky.social, we outline specific measures state leaders can take to keep our elections safe. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...

When it comes to elections and democracy, there are many areas—like the previously discussed consideration of “burdensome” AI regulations in funding decisions —where the plan presents a false choice: prioritizing innovation at the expense of important safeguards against AI risks.

How the Federal Government Is Undermining Election Security By cutting critical funding, coordination, and support from numerous agencies, the administration is making it harder for states to guard against threats to their election systems.

The Plan emphasizes the importance of strengthening critical infrastructure defenses—which would include election system defenses—against AI-related threats. But in recent months the administration has made substantial cuts to election security support. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

The Plan also calls for fed agencies to expand their use of AI to interact with the public, potentially including in allocation of benefits and info delivery, without standards to reduce risks. While AI could improve efficiency, guardrails are essential to protect Americans’ rights and privacy.

While AI has real pro-democracy promise, one of its biggest risks is the potential for AI tools to spread false information about elections. The “woke AI” executive order’s changes to federal procurement would likely exacerbate that problem. bsky.app/profile/amos...

That would potentially stifle laws and regulations that target political deepfakes or take other important steps to protect voters from AI. Punishing states for taking action to confront AI risks is not just short-sighted—it’s dangerous.

The Action Plan could disincentivize states from enacting AI safeguards. It asks federal agencies not to make decisions about AI-related discretionary funding without considering whether a state has “burdensome” AI regulations in place and raises the specter of FCC scrutiny on any such regulations.

Preventing Woke AI in the Federal Government By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, it is hereby ordered: Section 1.  Purpose.

The WH released its AI Action Plan and executive orders yesterday. Lots to digest and many concerns. Some thoughts below specifically on how the policies announced yesterday amplify threats that AI poses to elections and the health of our democracy. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

A State Agenda for Election Security and Resiliency States must step up to help election officials protect their staff, facilities, and voting systems.

Ensuring election security shouldn't be a partisan issue. @brennancenter.org partnered with @rstreet.bsky.social to detail ways that states can and must adapt to the changed election security landscape. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...

Survey Finds Election Officials Want More Support Amid Federal Cutbacks and Ongoing Threats Local election officials are concerned about the loss of federal support for election security and hope state and local governments will step in to fill the void.

A majority of election officials we polled said they’re concerned about political leaders engaging in efforts to interfere with how they or fellow election officials around the country do their jobs. bit.ly/3IlRJVZ

I'll be speaking at #AAJA25 convention in Seattle, WA, on July 30. You can register at aaja25.org/registration!

DOJ hits states with broad requests for voter rolls, election data Election clerks in both parties, who have been subject to harassment and lawsuits over Trump’s 2020 false election claims, worry about efforts to examine their voting machines.

The explainer is meant to help officials prepare for "requests, regardless of who is making them, and respond in ways that are legally sound, operationally feasible, and protective of voter privacy and election security." Link to WaPo story below. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Requests for Access to Election Data and Equipment Require Balancing Risks and Public Access Election officials must manage legal risk, security risk, and risks to public confidence when fielding inquiries about the data and equipment used to administer elections.

In light of yesterday's WaPo story that someone they never met "is asking county clerks whether they will allow the federal government or a third party to physically examine their election equipment," reupping this resource just released by the Brennan Center. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

Por quinto año desde 2020, el Brennan Center realizó su encuesta a autoridades electorales esta primavera. Este año se obtuvieron hallazgos inquietantes, interesantes e importantes. www.brennancenter.org/es/our-work/...

Since April 4, #SCOTUS has issued 15 rulings on 17 emergency applications filed by Trump (three birthright citizenship apps were consolidated).

It has granted relief to Trump ... in all 15 rulings.

It has written majority opinions in only 3.

Today's order is the 7th with no explanation *at all.*

"The majority is either willfully blind to the implications of its ruling or naive, but either way the threat to our Constitution's separation of powers is grave." Justice Sotomayor (joined by Js Kagan and Jackson) dissenting from this evening's SCOTUS decision in the Dep't of Ed dismantling case.

Our annual survey of local election officials from around the country shares some important lessons about the health of our democracy and steps that our political leaders need to take to support free and fair elections. Read: bit.ly/44UzwHU

Survey Finds Election Officials Want More Support Amid Federal Cutbacks and Ongoing Threats Local election officials are concerned about the loss of federal support for election security and hope state and local governments will step in to fill the void.

Some more detailed thoughts on the @brennancenter.org latest survey of election officials from my colleague Ruby Edlin and me. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Local Election Officials Survey — July 2025 Sixty percent of local election officials are concerned about federal cuts to election security services, and 87% say it’s important for state and local government to provide additional resources to m...

Our latest local election official survey found that 60% of local election officials are concerned about federal cuts to election security services, and 87% say it’s important for state and local government to provide additional resources to make up for the cut funds and support.

Local election officials are the backbone of American democracy. They make sure everyone in their community entitled to vote can cast a ballot that will be counted. For me, the lesson of this year's survey is state and local governments must double down on their support of these officials ASAP.

The survey also found that 81% of local election officials are concerned about false information about elections spreading on social media. /6