Reuters describes how election officials in various parts of the United States are preparing not only for the elections, but also for possible conflicts with federal authorities. There are only a few weeks left until the elections, and at stake is control over Congress and, in practice, Donald Trump's ability to implement his program in the second half of his term.
Dallas was about to begin its march to victory
The Republican convention in Dallas was an unprecedented event. The party held a huge national convention ahead of the midterm elections, and Donald Trump was at the absolute center of it. The president urged his supporters to vote, portrayed the November election as a plebiscite on his presidency and tried to transfer the energy of his own political movement to Republican candidates.
It's an understandable strategy, but one that carries enormous risk. Trump remains by far the most important figure in the Republican Party and arguably the best GOP politician at mobilizing the most loyal voters. The problem is that congressional elections are also decided among independent voters and in several dozen competitive districts.
Our American correspondent Paweł Żuchowski spoke in Dallas with Republican activists and party supporters who wondered whether making the elections a referendum on Trump is really a good idea. Many had doubts, primarily because of the need to win the votes of independent voters. It is no coincidence that some of the Republicans fighting in the most difficult districts in Dallas were not present at all.
The poll after Dallas gives Republicans no reason to calm down
The first Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted after the convention shows the scale of the problem. Donald Trump's ratings increased slightly. His work as president is positively assessed by 35 percent. Americans, compared to a record low of 33 percent. before.
However, answers regarding Congress are much more important for the November elections. When Americans were asked which party's candidate they would vote for in a congressional election, 44 percent Democrats and 37 percent chose Republicans. The seven-point lead is the largest Democratic advantage on such a question in Reuters/Ipsos polls since Trump returned to the White House in January 2025.
This is, of course, not a forecast of the number of seats. Americans don't elect Congress in a single nationwide vote, and district lines and the geography of support matter greatly. Republicans also benefit from changes in the boundaries of some electoral districts. They find the trend disturbing.
The answer to the question of who Americans trust more in matters of the economy is even more interesting. For years, this has been one of Republicans' greatest assets. Now Reuters indicates that for the first time in about a decade, Democrats have gained an advantage on this issue. This is especially dangerous before the elections, when prices, inflation and the cost of living are among the most important issues for voters.
Five thousand dollars did not convince the Americans
In Dallas, Donald Trump tried to respond to economic discontent with a spectacular promise. He announced that if Republicans retain control of Congress, every adult American would receive $5,000. dollars of the so-called Trump dividend. The problem is that, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, the idea did not generate the enthusiasm that the White House might have expected.
As much as 63 percent respondents are against such payment. What's even more surprising is that about 40 percent do not support it either. only Republicans.
The program would cost about $1.2 trillion, and some Republican politicians are already asking where the money would come from and whether such a huge cash injection would cause another increase in inflation.
In this way, one of the loudest promises of the Dallas convention may, instead of a political advantage, become another question for Republican candidates that they will have to answer in their districts.
Trump is losing an important Supreme Court battle
Political problems are compounded by a very important decision of the Supreme Court.
The judges rejected the Trump administration's attempt to introduce new rules on postal voting before the November election. Among other things, the administration wanted states to transfer voter data to the federal system and use previously approved envelope designs. The Postal Service could refuse to process election mail from states that do not meet the new requirements.
The change would be huge because mail-in votes account for nearly a third of all votes in U.S. elections. Time was also an issue. Voting has already started in some states. The Supreme Court decided that the procedures currently in force will remain unchanged for now.
For Trump, this is a significant defeat. All the more so because the president has been claiming for years that postal voting promotes electoral fraud, although no evidence has been presented indicating mass fraud of this type.
Officials are preparing for scenarios they have not practiced before
At the same time, Reuters describes the extraordinary preparations of election administrations across the United States. The agency interviewed over fifty election officials. Their reports show that some local authorities are preparing not only for typical problems - machine failures, queues or cyberattacks - but also for a potential conflict with the federal government.
In California, scenarios involving the appearance of federal agents near polling places are being considered. In Michigan, officials are preparing for the possibility of demands for access to election documents or equipment. Some local offices are hiring additional lawyers and training employees to respond to federal subpoenas and requests. In addition, there is physical security. After years of threats against people organizing elections, some offices were equipped with additional cameras, alarm buttons and even bulletproof glass.
The authorities are also preparing for another threat: disinformation, including materials created by artificial intelligence, which can reach millions of voters within a few hours. The White House rejects suggestions that the administration intends to interfere with the legal electoral process. Trump and his associates argue that the actions they are taking have one goal - to ensure the integrity of the elections.
For the president's opponents, however, they are an attempt to increase the federal authorities' control over the system, which, in accordance with American tradition and law, is primarily managed by individual states.
Much more is at stake than just a few dozen seats in Congress
That's why this year's midterm elections are less and less like a simple political fight for seats in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Donald Trump himself raised their stakes. In Dallas, he asked Americans to treat the November vote as an assessment of his presidency. Republicans have overwhelmingly embraced this strategy. Trump's face, his policies and his promises became the centerpieces of the campaign.
If the strategy works, the president will be able to say that the Americans have once again given him a mandate to implement the program, and he will enter the last two years of his term in a much stronger position. However, if Republicans lose the House of Representatives, the situation in Washington will change dramatically. Democrats would gain control of House committees, the ability to conduct investigations, call witnesses and request documents from the administration. Implementation of parts of Trump's agenda would be seriously hampered, and the second half of his term could be dominated by political and legal clashes with Congress.
