Baldwin, Colleagues Introduce Bill to Counter Trump’s Attacks on American Elections

WASHINGTON, D.C. - As President Donald Trump escalates his efforts to interfere in the administration of American elections ahead of the upcoming 2026 midterms, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and her colleagues introduced legislation to protect voters and combat unlawful election interference attempts. The Stop Harassment and Intimidations in Elections through Legal Defenses (SHIELD) Our Elections Act would give voters and state Attorneys General tools to stop interference in elections, strengthen accountability for people who illegally meddle in elections, and protect ballots from being improperly seized.

"Donald Trump has been actively laying the groundwork to undermine our 2026 elections to evade accountability for his cost-raising policies - and I refuse to stand idly by amidst his repeated efforts to stop Americans from having their voices heard," said Senator Baldwin. "Our Democracy relies on people being able to show up to the ballot box and their vote to be secret and counted. And, if someone tries to interfere with that right, they need to be held accountable - no matter who they are."

The SHIELD Our Elections Act creates a private right to action for State Attorneys General and voters to enforce federal anti-interference laws protecting polling locations and election sites, extends the statute of limitations for election related crimes so that future administrations can enforce them, restricts the seizure of ballots and election equipment from election officials until after an election outcome has been finalized, and authorizes a voluntary grant program to support states who have mail and absentee ballot tracking programs to provide confidence and security for voting by mail or drop box.

Specifically, the bill would secure federal elections by:

• Allowing State Attorneys General and impacted voters to sue when federal officials unlawfully interfere with or intimidate them at polling places;
• Strengthening accountability by extending the statute of limitations from five to nine years for key federal election crimes, including interference by armed forces and voter intimidation, to enable them to be brought by future administrations for past actions; and
• Protecting ballots from improper seizure by limiting when state or federal law enforcement may seize ballots or election equipment and requiring court-authorized election officials to maintain joint custody whenever materials must be seized, especially prior to the resolution of an election.

The bill comes as President Trump has taken an all-of-the-above approach to try to interfere in the upcoming 2026 elections. In March, President Trump issued an executive order directing the Postal Service to create a federal mail-in voting list made up of states' absentee voters' information. Following this unconstitutional directive, USPS proposed a rule that would ultimately allow the Postal Service to determine whether millions of Americans can receive and cast ballots through the mail. Baldwin has spoken out in strong opposition and demanded that the USPS abandon this rule.

President Trump has openly floated sending Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and other federal agents to local polling locations and has said Republicans should nationalize voting in at least 15 states. Trump has also attempted to seize ballots in Georgia, Michigan, and Arizona, and sued 30 states for their voter rolls. Senator Baldwin and her colleagues introduced the Protect Our Polls Act to protect Americans' constitutional right to vote and prevent federal interference by armed military or federal law enforcement.

The bill is led by Senator Alex Padilla (D-CA) and also co-sponsored by Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Elissa Slotkin (D-MI).

Full text of the bill is available here. One-pager of the bill is available here.

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