In the 2026 midterms, state and local election officials are working hard to protect your vote

Since 2020, election misinformation and disinformation have become a rallying cry for sore losers and candidates who don’t get the results they wanted. The reality is that these lies have come at a real cost to voters, regardless of their veracity; they have weakened overall trust in our democratic systems and processes. 

As the 2026 midterms approach, lies about elections, including those from the president, will intensify, so it’s time to set the record straight. First, state and local officials run our elections, not the president. State and local election officials not only administer elections, but state and local law also dictates everything from early voting periods to election certification, and the secretary of state’s role is to ensure election administrators, poll workers, and county officials run our elections in accordance with state law. 

If you see sensational headlines or claims about our elections, or content clearly meant to provoke a strong emotional response, take a minute to pause and verify what you’re reading. Think through who the author is and what the motives may be. Then cross-reference the information with a trusted source, such as the Michigan Voter Information Center, your local clerk’s office, or a nonpartisan website like MichiganVoting.org, all of which have accurate, accessible information about Michigan’s elections.  

Despite failed executive orders aimed at overhauling vote by mail, attempts to upend voter registration, and even a Hail Mary attempt to pass federal legislation that would have required Michiganders to provide a birth certificate or passport in order to vote, Michigan’s elections remain protected, and everyone from state officials to local clerks to the pro-voter advocacy organizations is prepared to ensure that Michigan’s elections remain free and democratic.

As a former Detroit poll worker and current voting rights advocate, I have seen firsthand the dedication of many local clerks to ensuring their communities can vote freely, without intimidation, and know their vote counts. For example, local and municipal clerks provide public logic and accuracy testing of voting machines so anyone can see exactly how our voting machines work.

Knowledge is power, and it’s so important to get our information from our trusted, nonpartisan election administrators rather than viral videos online meant to scare or intimidate us. 

And it’s not just Michigan’s clerks who protect our elections; our state officials have also fought back. When the Department of Justice tried to access sensitive voter information, our attorney general and secretary of state fought back and won, because it is their duty to protect the information of the voters who trusted them. Michiganders should feel confident in our elections, because we know our officials will continue to protect our freedom to vote. 

That’s not to say the Trump administration’s threats to interfere with how state and local elections are run aren’t real, but it is a call to voters to remember that state and local election officials have our back in Michigan. As voters, our primary role in elections is to show up and make sure our voices are heard.

This November, I know Michigan voters will do just that.