Schumer, Jeffries and the DNC Sue Trump, Blanche and Mullin Over Alleged Election-Official Intimidation

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries, the DNC, two campaign committees, the Nevada Democratic Party and a California voter sued President Trump, Attorney General Todd Blanche, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin, DOJ and DHS on Oct. 20, 2026, in Washington federal court. The suit accuses the administration of violating Voting Rights Act Section 11(b), which bars intimidating election officials, by threatening officials who help eligible voters register and cast ballots ahead of the midterms.

The complaint cites the push to force states to purge voters using a DOJ list of roughly 20,000 people alleged to be ineligible noncitizens, a list a preliminary Los Angeles County review found nearly 40% wrong, and quotes Trump saying officials who refuse to comply could "go to jail for a long period of time." It argues the administration, "thwarted in Congress and the courts," has disregarded the tools Congress gave it and is trying to seize control of elections the Constitution leaves to the states.

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeking to block the alleged conduct; no hearing date had been set, and DOJ had not publicly responded.