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How your economic power - and an army of lawyers - are key to defeating the administration's election coup
The coup this time isn’t loud.
It isn’t starting with shattered glass or a mob on the Capitol steps. It is quieter, colder, and far more dangerous. It is arriving in the form of a subpoena, a database query, and a federal agent standing in the back of a county election office.
We are witnessing a Bureaucratic Siege of the 2026 midterm elections. The administration is no longer just talking about “rigged” systems; they are actively using the machinery of the state to dismantle the safeguards of American democracy.
The danger is very serious. But the hope is serious, too: The siege only works if we remain passive. We have the law, we have the numbers, and — crucially — we have the economic power to stop them together.
Two-Front Assault
The strategy for 2026 is a coordinated assault designed to squeeze the life out of independent state elections.
On one side, we have the weaponization of intelligence. It is chilling to read that the Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard — an official whose sole job should be focusing on foreign threats — recently accompanied FBI agents on a raid of an election center in Fulton County, Georgia. This raid, ostensibly about the settled 2020 election, sends a clear message to every election worker in the country: Count the votes the “wrong” way, and the federal government will come for you.
On the other side, we have the weaponization of data. The Justice Department is currently building an unprecedented national database, demanding that states hand over sensitive voter information, including Social Security numbers. The goal is not transparency; it is a pretext for a massive, federally orchestrated purge of eligible voters under the guise of removing non-citizens.
The President himself has made the endgame clear. In a recent interview, he explicitly suggested that “Republicans ought to nationalize the voting,” claiming without evidence that states like Minnesota are “rigged”. This is an attempt to bypass the Constitution’s guarantee that states run elections, replacing local control with federal fiat.
The Shield: The Legal Firewall
The administration is banking on intimidation. They are betting that local officials will fold under the pressure of federal lawsuits and raids. But we can stiffen their spines by funding their defense.
There are nonpartisan legal armies fighting these battles right now, and they need our support. Here are the three organizations the New York Times recommends:
Campaign Legal Center: Founded by a Republican, this group is currently fighting the administration’s demands for voter data in court and challenging executive orders that would force states to reject valid mail-in ballots. They’re also Bright America’s strategic litigation partner, and we’re proud to have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund its lawsuits.
The Election Official Legal Defense Network: This group pairs terrified election officials with pro bono attorneys who can advise them on how to respond to threats and lawsuits. They are the first line of defense for the people actually counting the votes.
The Carter Center: For the first time, this legendary organization is turning its eyes inward, deploying nonpartisan observers to swing states like Georgia and Michigan to ensure transparency.
Donating to these groups is not charity; it’s investing in a future in which our republic survives.
The Sword: The “Resist and Unsubscribe” Campaign
Litigation takes time, but money talks instantly. This administration is empowered by corporate enablers — tech platforms that amplify disinformation and companies that remain silent while the rule of law is eroded.
It is time to deploy Scott Galloway’s “Resist and Unsubscribe” campaign.
The concept is simple: The President seems moved by the markets above all else. If we can impact the stock prices of the companies that enable this behavior, we can help force a change. We need to turn our economic power into political resistance.
Audit Your Expenses: Look at every recurring subscription you have, and see if the company is on Scott’s list.
Unsubscribe: If you are paying a company that actively enables the surveillance state or amplifies the administration’s “Big Lie,” cancel the service. Move your business to competitors who aren’t complicit.
Make Noise: Don’t just leave quietly. Post your cancellation. Make the silence of your wallet deafening. A one-day boycott is annoying; a quarterly earnings miss is terrifying.
The Ground Game: Flood the Zone
Finally, we must deny them the excuse to intervene. The administration’s narrative relies on chaos — long lines and “shortages” of workers that justify sending in federal agents or the National Guard to “secure” the polls.
We can stop this by flooding the zone. In 2024, nearly half of the country’s precincts struggled to recruit poll workers. We need a massive surge of citizens — especially young people — to sign up, get trained, and show up. If the polls are fully staffed by principled neighbors, the pretext for federal takeover evaporates.
The Verdict
In 1981, Ronald Reagan called the orderly transfer of power “nothing less than a miracle”. That miracle is not a guarantee; it is a tradition we have to actively guard.
The administration wants us to feel overwhelmed so that we unsubscribe from democracy. Instead, let’s unsubscribe from them — and double down on our country.
I remember a teaching story as told by the late Joel Barker who popularized a story about a man who was walking along a beach covered with thousands of star fish that had been stranded by the serf. A young man sees this old guy methodically picking up a star fish and throwing then back in the ocean. An observor told the old man "what you are doing is futile, there are thousands of star fish; What possible difference can you make". The old man responded by picking up a star fish and as he threw it back in the ocean, he says "made a difference for that one".
We will never give into autocracy. Our democracy will go on and on and be supported by us always always always despite any of Trump or his followers actions we will fight on.