CT Lawmakers Sound Alarm on Voter Suppression and Election Security Cuts Ahead of 2026 Midterms

With just 18 months until the 2026 midterm elections, Connecticut Democrats are raising the alarm over mounting threats to the integrity and accessibility of American voting. At a shadow hearing convened in New Haven on Monday by Rep. Rosa DeLauro and fellow Democrats, experts and officials sounded urgent warnings about Republican efforts to restrict voting rights and the Trump administration’s dismantling of election security programs.

“The survival of our democracy, our great American experiment in government of, by, and for the people, is at stake,” DeLauro declared. While acknowledging the cost-of-living crisis remains voters’ top concern, she stressed that safeguarding free and fair elections demands equal priority from Congress.

The forum brought together election officials, legal scholars, and advocates who detailed how recent legislative and executive actions imperil voter access and election security nationwide. Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas highlighted her reliance on federal funding from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to protect elections from foreign interference and to train local election workers. But she warned that CISA’s budget has been slashed under the Trump administration’s latest proposals, leaving election officials “concerned about what 2026 looks like.”

Rep. Jim Himes, ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, blasted the administration for “dismantling institutions specifically designed to combat efforts by our adversaries, foreign and domestic, to interfere in U.S. elections.” He emphasized that election security is not a partisan issue but a national security imperative.

The hearing also spotlighted the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed bill championed by Donald Trump that would impose strict identification and citizenship documentation requirements for voter registration. Connecticut currently requires voters only to attest to citizenship under penalty of perjury, a system Republicans deride as vulnerable to fraud despite no evidence of widespread abuse.

If enacted, the SAVE America Act would create new barriers for voters in Connecticut and across the country, disproportionately affecting communities of color and those with limited access to documents like birth certificates or passports. The bill has stalled in the Senate but remains a top priority for election deniers.

Connecticut officials have pushed back, joining nearly two dozen states in lawsuits challenging Trump’s executive order limiting mail-in voting, another popular and secure method targeted by the former president.

DeLauro vowed to fight for restored and increased funding for election security in upcoming federal appropriations, underscoring the need to reassure voters that “polls are safe and they can show up” without facing unnecessary hurdles.

As Republican efforts to restrict voting rights persist and federal election security programs face cuts, Connecticut Democrats are sounding a clear warning: democracy itself is on the line. Without swift action to protect voting access and secure elections, the 2026 midterms risk becoming a referendum on whether the United States can uphold its promise of government “of, by, and for the people.”