Democrats and Republicans ready lawyers and poll watchers ahead of Election Day. Senate Democrats are setting up a war room for post-election fights, and the RNC says it has more than 180 election cases in 37 states. Published: 11/2/2026, 3:03:38 PM EST Democrats and Republicans are deploying lawyers, poll watchers, and election observers ahead of Tuesday's midterm elections, with each party preparing for disputes over how votes are cast and counted. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) is setting up a "war room" to coordinate Democrats' response to any effort by President Donald Trump to challenge the results. In an Oct. 30 letter to Senate Democrats, Schumer said the war room would serve as a hub after Election Day. It will connect senators' offices, House Democrats, outside allies, and lawyers so they share the same information and a unified message. "We have no idea how long this legal effort will take but, whether it's a few days, a few weeks or several months, we will be ready to fight [Trump] every step of the way," Schumer wrote. Schumer said the Senate Democrats' Election Protection Task Force would spend Election Day monitoring reports from Senate election observers around the country. It will share what it learns with senators through the Senate Rules Committee. Democratic National Committee Chair Ken Martin said in a Nov. 1 interview on NewsNation's "The Hill Sunday" that he expects lawsuits after the election and that the party is ready to protect the results as well as the vote. "I do believe that there will be lawsuits after this election, and we're prepared for that, and we're prepared to protect not only the vote but protect the outcome of this election," Martin said. Martin criticized Trump and praised election administrators and secretaries of state from both parties, saying he believes the election will be free and fair. State Democratic parties have trained an estimated 10,000 volunteers to watch polling places and report concerns involving federal agents. "The RNC has built one of the largest election integrity operations in party history," RNC Election Integrity Communications Director Ally Triolo told The Epoch Times. "With record-breaking poll worker recruitment, strategic deployments in battleground states, and a nationwide network of volunteers, attorneys, and election observers, we're strengthening voter confidence and ensuring every legal vote counts." The RNC said it has about 21,500 poll workers signed up nationwide, election integrity staff deployed in 22 target states, and more than 180 active election integrity cases in 37 states. It said its teams will monitor issues such as observer access, polling hours, ballot counting, and voter ID and mail ballot rules. It said it does not comment on hypothetical litigation and that any legal response would depend on the facts and state law. The Department of Justice will have about 1,000 election monitors in counties in all 50 states, department spokeswoman Kiersten Pels told The Epoch Times on Oct. 30. She said the monitors will observe and report potential violations of federal law, which the department will review after Election Day, and that they are required not to interfere with voting. "Election monitoring is longstanding practice that dates back to the 1960s," Pels said. She noted that the Biden administration sent more than 700 monitors in the 2024 election. Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and the Democratic Governors Association sued Trump, the Justice Department, and the Department of Homeland Security on Oct. 20. The suit seeks to stop the administration from allegedly pressuring states to remove voters from the rolls or set aside ballots. Chief U.S. District Judge James Boasberg said he would rule by Nov. 2 on their request for a temporary restraining order. Boasberg had not ruled as of the time of publication. Under his separate order, the administration disclosed in an Oct. 30 court filing that the Justice Department had sent formal demands to California and Washington state, and that the Department of Homeland Security had sent letters to California, Nevada, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. A federal judge on Nov. 1 dismissed the Justice Department's lawsuit seeking to block certification of Alaska's Senate results if Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan loses by a margin smaller than the number of votes cast for another candidate also named Dan Sullivan, finding the department lacked standing to bring the action. The DOJ filed a notice of appeal shortly after. The Justice Department on Nov. 2 asked the Supreme Court to order California to set aside about 20,000 mail ballots the department says likely belong to noncitizens, after a federal judge and an appeals court rejected the request. California officials dispute the accuracy of the department's list. Jack Phillips, Zachary Stieber, Matthew Vadum, and The Associated Press contributed to this report. Conversation Conversations are moderated. For more info, see its Community Guidelines.

Everytown, Democratic Governors Association launch $3 million campaign to elect Gun Safety governors in key battleground states. 10.21.2026 WASHINGTON - Today, Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Victory Fund, and the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) announced a $3 million effort to elect gun-sense governors in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin. The campaign includes digital ads targeting persuasion and turnout voters, highlighting the strong public safety records of its endorsed gubernatorial candidates and the threat MAGA extremists pose to commonsense gun safety laws and its communities. Target Races: * Michigan: Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson * Minnesota: Senator Amy Klobuchar * Nevada: Attorney General Aaron Ford * Wisconsin: Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley WATCH: "Results" (Nevada Governor) "Every gun safety bill must reach a governor's desk, and this November voters in Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, and Wisconsin can elect governors who will sign life-saving gun safety bills into law," said John Feinblatt, president of Everytown for Gun Safety. "Everytown is partnering with the DGA to make sure battleground voters know which candidates for governor will sign gun safety bills and which will veto them." "Democratic governors are the last line of defense against Donald Trump's chaos, from his cost-raising agenda to an administration that's made it easier for violent criminals to get their hands on guns," said DGA Executive Director Meghan Meehan-Draper. "Jocelyn Benson, Amy Klobuchar, Aaron Ford, and David Crowley will lower costs and keep their communities safe, while their Republican opponents line up behind Trump at every turn. The DGA is proud to partner with Everytown to make sure voters in these battleground states know exactly what's at stake this November." Governors have the final say on gun safety in their states. In Nevada, Gov. Joe Lombardo has vetoed every gun safety bill to reach his desk for two legislative sessions in a row. In Michigan, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer signed five gun safety bills into law in 2023 after Everytown volunteers helped flip the legislature. And last year, Everytown helped elect former Moms Demand Action volunteer Abigail Spanberger as Governor of Virginia, and in her first legislative session she signed a ban on the sale of assault weapons and 20 other gun safety bills into law. This campaign builds on Everytown's $3 million effort to elect Moms Demand Action volunteers to state legislatures in Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin and build gun-sense trifectas.