The legal case for and against nationalizing elections

Published February 5, 2026 10:25am ET



President Donald Trump sparked a constitutional debate this week after floating the idea that Republicans could consider “nationalizing the voting,” arguing that some states cannot be trusted to fairly oversee the midterm elections.

“Amazing that the Republicans aren’t tougher on it,” Trump said. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least 15 places.’ The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”

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