The League of Women Voters’ mission is essential and urgent: Empowering Voters, Defending Democracy. At a time when our election system is being questioned, distorted and misrepresented from many directions, that mission has never mattered more. Defending democracy is not an abstract slogan; it’s about protecting real people and communities whose voices can be weakened when those in power seek to change the rules of participation.
That’s why the national LWV issued the following statement on Feb. 4 in response to recent calls to “nationalize” elections:
“President Trump’s continued rhetoric is a calculated effort to dismantle the integrity of the electoral system as we know it. This is not political theater: it’s a direct threat to the very fiber of democracy itself.”
The call to “nationalize” elections is not a minor administrative change – it represents a calculated challenge to the constitutional balance that has guided American self-government for more than two centuries. Framed in the language of “fraud” and “integrity,” such proposals would shift control of voting away from state and local officials and toward those who could gain from altering the rules when outcomes are unfavorable to them.
For years, claims have been made that U.S. elections are riddled with corruption, even as courts, nonpartisan election officials and the Department of Justice have repeatedly found no evidence of widespread fraud that would change outcomes. After the 2020 election, dozens of lawsuits failed, independent audits confirmed results, and officials from both major parties affirmed that the vote was secure and accurate. Yet the same narrative continues to circulate and to be applied to new jurisdictions, not to address demonstrated problems, but in ways that undermine confidence in the process itself.
Under the Constitution, states run elections, and local officials – your county clerk, your poll workers, your canvass boards – handle voter registration, ballot distribution and counting. That decentralized structure is a guardrail, making it harder for any one person or party to seize control of the process nationwide. In La Plata County, the LWV is hosting an Election Security and Access event with County Clerk Tiffany Lee on April 21 at the Durango Public Library; community members are encouraged to attend with their questions and concerns.
When federal leaders call to “nationalize” elections or to “take over the voting in at least 15 places,” they are effectively urging a shift toward partisan control over where and how Americans cast their ballots. Changing who runs elections because one dislikes the voters’ choices is the opposite of election integrity; it’s a deliberate strategy to suppress turnout and undermine confidence.
Democracy rarely disappears overnight. It’s chipped away – by normalizing lies, sowing chaos and intimidating anyone who stands in the way. Sweeping federal control of state and local elections based on broad, unsubstantiated claims of “corruption” risks confusing voters, discrediting honest local officials and opening the door to partisan influence over who can vote and which ballots count. As the 2026 midterms approach, casting doubt on elections in advance and discussing “takeovers” of voting in selected areas can contribute to lower turnout and weaker public trust before a single ballot is cast.
Silence in the face of such proposals is not neutrality; it’s complicity. Members of Congress swore an oath to uphold the Constitution, which places primary responsibility for election administration with the states and does not grant any president an open‑ended mandate to centralize control of elections.
Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper and Rep. Jeff Hurd – and all elected officials – should hear clearly from the people they serve: We expect them to reject calls to “nationalize” elections, to oppose any effort to intimidate voters or local officials. Constituents should call, write and meet with their legislators and urge them to defend the Constitution, protect state and local control of elections, and stand up – now – against any attempt to hijack our democracy for partisan advantage.
League of Women Voters La Plata Board of Directors Liz Mora, Adrea Bogle, Mady Miraglia, Jan Phillips and Wendy Pollak.
