Padilla, Schumer Launch First-Ever Senate Election Observer Program To Protect 2026 Midterms

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee and California’s former Secretary of State, and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) June 25 announced Senate Democrats’ new election observer program, a first-of-its-kind Senate initiative to train Senate staff to serve as official election observers and protect against any meddling in the 2026 midterm elections. The new project is part of Senate Dems’ election protection task F=force, an effort to identify and mitigate election threats. 

With the 2026 midterms approaching, Donald Trump has escalated his campaign to meddle in elections and “take over the voting,” sow doubt in election results, and undermine confidence in free and fair elections — including by spreading election disinformation, attempting to marshal the power of the federal government to push voter purges, issuing illegal voter suppression executive orders, seeking to ban mail and absentee voting, and demanding passage of the so-called SAVE America Act.

In response to Trump’s ongoing threats, Senate Democrats are launching the election observer program to promote transparency, protect voter confidence, and ensure the Senate has objective, on-the-ground information in Senate races. The program will recruit and train Senate staff to serve as official congressional observers, who will document any attempted voter interference, threats against election workers, misinformation, disinformation, and other attempts to meddle with fair elections, both on Election Day and in the post-election canvass and certification process.

The program will be nonpartisan, official, and strictly noninterfering. Designated Senate observers will not advocate for candidates, participate in vote counting, interfere with election officials, handle ballots or election equipment, or seek to influence election results in any way. Their role will be to observe, document, and report objective information to assist the Senate in addressing any potentially contested Senate elections and to inform future legislation and oversight work related to federal election administration.

Through the program, staff serving as election observers will receive mandatory training ahead of election day focused on election administration procedures and election law. Training will also focus on observer responsibilities, documentation standards, noninterference requirements, and appropriate conduct at election sites. Staff trained through the program may be sent to any state with a Senate race.

Senate Democrats’ Election Observer Program will be similar to the long-running program in the House of Representatives and follows the October 2024 passage of the Confirmation of Congressional Observer Access (COCOA) Act, which confirmed the constitutional authority of Congress, specifically the Chair and Ranking Members of the Committee on House Administration and Senate Committee on Rules and Administration, to designate congressional election observers.

Details: Find more information on the program here.