With vote-by-mail court fight settled, attention shifts to protections at the polls

Common Cause announced a voter protection campaign placing thousands of volunteers at polling sites in 25 states, while the Association of State Democratic Conferences launched a separate initiative deploying 10,000 volunteers across all 50 states and seven territories. Both efforts follow the Supreme Court's blocking of a Trump administration order limiting vote-by-mail, and aim to counter possible intimidation tactics ahead of the midterms.

White House spokeswoman Lauren Bis said the administration would keep guarding against noncitizen voting, citing a New Jersey software glitch that registered 6,600 noncitizens and a handful of Justice Department fraud prosecutions as evidence the concern is real. Trump has alleged widespread election fraud for years without providing evidence.

Administration officials have repeatedly declined to rule out deploying ICE or federal law enforcement near polling places. FBI Director Kash Patel dodged the question at a Senate hearing, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said ICE would not patrol polls but could appear while serving warrants, and former press secretary Karoline Leavitt called the question 'silly' without offering a guarantee.

A recent AP-NORC and USAFacts poll found only 34% of adults trust government election certifications a great deal or quite a bit, a distrust voting rights advocates say the administration and allies have deliberately cultivated.

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