Defending Democracy with Marc Elias

ICE never wanted you to see these: internal government documents obtained by legal nonprofit Democracy Forward show that Homeland Security Investigations has been probing nonpartisan groups that help register citizens to vote in battleground states. They even went so far as to outline a plan to use undercover agents to target these nonprofits for registering "illegal alien" voters, though no evidence of such activity appears to have been found. ICE also collected tens of millions of voter records and considered feeding state election data into a system used to locate people for deportation. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias details the explosive findings and explains how deeply ICE has become involved in elections.

Marc Elias examines Trump’s escalating attacks on California’s elections, his conflicting stance on mail voting, and the political stakes behind the rhetoric. The discussion covers federal investigations, California’s extended ballot-counting window, and why the state’s 52 House seats could determine control of Congress. It also explores efforts to undermine confidence in the results and defend lawful vote counting.

Donald Trump’s own words point to a dangerous midterm strategy that could extend far beyond Election Day. The conversation examines voter suppression, federal attempts to influence elections, gerrymandering, and the looming battle over ballot counting and certification. It also explores emergency powers, potential ballot seizures, legal challenges, and why overwhelming turnout may be crucial.

Georgia election deniers ask the Justice Department to intervene in vote counting just weeks before the midterms. The discussion examines attacks on voting machines, ERIC, voter-roll data and alleged record tampering, while tracing how these claims could enable federal control of elections. It also explores legal pushback, election protection and the broader strategy behind the power grab.

A Supreme Court ruling allows the Trump administration to share a flawed benefits database with states ahead of the midterms, raising fears of voter purges and disenfranchisement. Marc Elias examines a crucial footnote, an upcoming case that could reshape election safeguards, federal efforts to collect voter data, Missouri’s blocked gerrymander, and the danger of armed agents at polling places.

David Pakman, an Argentine-American political commentator, author, and creator of The David Pakman Show, joins Marc Elias to explore why social platforms amplify fear, anger, and scapegoating. They discuss Trump’s political vulnerabilities, retaliation against media critics, platform-specific media strategies, audience capture, building a stronger progressive media ecosystem, and the rise of AI-generated influencers.

Democrats just sued to block Trump's latest voter intimidation efforts. The administration has been suggesting for months that they will deploy armed federal agents at polling places, even though federal law says it's a crime. Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias breaks down the lawsuit filed by Democratic leaders and explains why the threat matters even if Trump loses in court. The threat of federal agents at the polls serves to intimidate and discourage voters from showing up to cast their ballots.

For the 25th consecutive time, Donald Trump's Department of Justice has lost its case attempting to access sensitive voter data. With just over 40 days left until Election Day, Americans are thinking about how to afford the skyrocketing cost of living – but Donald Trump's only focus is disenfranchising voters in order to tilt the scales in his favor. In this video, Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias explains why free and fair elections are the biggest threat to Trump's authoritarian goals.

Everywhere Democracy Docket founder Marc Elias goes, he's asked two questions: what is Trump going to do next, and is he worried? The first one is easy, because Trump has said, over and over, that he plans to seize control of vote counting in the 2026 midterms. The second one is harder — and it's the one that's been keeping him up at night.

A convention loyalty pledge takes center stage as Trump urges Republicans to “cheat like hell.” The discussion examines voter suppression, attacks on mail ballots, postal-service manipulation, citizenship lists, and plans to deploy armed agents at polling places. It also traces the escalating path from election lies and lawsuits to government pressure, violence, and a looming midterm crisis.