Trump's Election Threats: What's Real & What If They Come True?

Which of Trump's threats to the midterms are real, which are the most dangerous, and what happens if the worst comes true? Two democracy experts on the front lines answer, and both say the biggest danger may come after the polls close.Colin Cole, Director of Policy, Outreach and Communications at More Equitable Democracy and host of the award-winning podcast The Future of Our Former Democracy, joins from Brazil. He explains why chaos itself is the strategy, how voter purges fall hardest on voters with Asian American and Latino surnames, what the Supreme Court's Callais decision and mid-decade gerrymandering have done to Black representation, and how to talk about threats without feeding the despair that keeps people home.Virginia Kase Solomón, President and CEO of Common Cause, describes her organization's tabletop exercises for the period between Election Day and January, why federal ballot seizures could break the chain of custody and delay certification, where Common Cause's lawsuits stand on ICE at the polls and on intimidation of ICE observers, and exactly what to do if ICE shows up at your polling place.Chapters00:00 Which of Trump's election threats are real?03:00 Colin Cole: why chaos is the real danger05:50 What Australia, Germany and Brazil do differently08:10 Voter purges, the SAVE database and who gets flagged12:50 Louisiana v. Callais and mid-decade gerrymandering17:05 Does talking about voter intimidation help Trump?21:20 If the worst happens: the way forward27:30 Colin's must-do: end winner-take-all elections29:20 Virginia Kase Solomón joins30:00 Her two biggest fears35:20 Ballot seizures and the certification deadline38:00 Common Cause's lawsuits: an update41:00 What to do if ICE shows up at your polling place43:50 How to volunteer for election protection46:20 If the worst happens: lawsuits, protests, strikes53:50 Virginia's must-do: the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and the Freedom to Vote Act57:00 "Democracy is a verb"If you see voter intimidation, including ICE at a polling place, call the Election Protection hotline. Don't escalate; document what you see.866-OUR-VOTE (866-687-8683)En español: 888-VE-Y-VOTA (888-839-8682)Multilingual hotlines, including Asian languages and Haitian Creole: https://www.commoncause.orgVolunteer for election protection: https://protectthevote.netGuests:Common Cause: https://www.commoncause.orgMore Equitable Democracy: https://www.equitabledemocracy.orgThe Future of Our Former Democracy: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-future-of-our-former-democracy/id1767428498I'm writing about this conversation on Substack this week, and the Impact Guide, my plain-English handbook for effective political giving and volunteering, is out now:https://worthknowing.substack.com#Midterms2026 #VotingRights #ElectionProtection