NATIONAL NUTCASERY
free and fair elections
The FBI is organizing a mysterious conference call in late February for local election officials from all 50 states to discuss plans for the midterm elections with federal law enforcement agencies, according to an email obtained by Crooked Media’s What A Day. It’s unclear what exact purpose of the call is, but just the announcement is raising concerns Trump’s recent comments about nationalizing the elections.
Election officials from each state were invited to a call on Feb. 25th, which also includes Trump’s FBI, Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and U.S. Election Assistance Commission. The email, which was obtained via public records request, was sent on Tuesday by an official named Kellie Hardiman, who gave her title as “FBI Election Executive.” In the email, Hardiman wrote that the FBI and other federal agencies “would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff.” She added: “We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections.”
The email is raising anxiety at a moment when Trump is calling for the federal government to take control of elections in 15 states, and dispatching the FBI to investigate the 2020 election in battleground state Georgia. Trump proposed his radically unconstitutional idea for seizing control of the voting system during a friendly chat with his former deputy FBI chief, Dan Bongino, who has returned to his true calling as a conspiracy-minded ultra-MAGA podcast bro. “The Republicans should say, ‘We want to take over. We should take over the voting in at least 15 places,’” Trump said. “The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
This unhinged idea is too much for even some hardcore Trump allies. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who kisses Trump’s ring daily, said: “I’m not in favor of federalizing elections. I think that’s a constitutional issue.” While Sen. Jon Husted (R-Oh) said the president’s “concern about election integrity is merited,” he also noted that he had previously served as Ohio’s secretary of state and that “the Constitution limits how much the federal role can be in elections.” Other Republicans tried pretending Trump was actually talking about the SAVE Act, or the expanded SAVE America Act. Both bills would require voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote, in addition to requiring a voter ID when voting in the SAVE America Act. “What I assume he meant by it is that we ought to pass — Congress ought to pass the SAVE Act, which I’m co-sponsor of,” Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., told reporters Wednesday.
House Republicans are set to vote on this legislation next week, and several GOP representatives are pushing the Senate to alter its filibuster rules so that the measure can overcome Democratic opposition in the chamber.
Trump appears to have a two-part strategy to mess with the elections, according to Marc Elias, a prominent lawyer and voting rights expert.
The first is before the elections: “Get access to the nationwide voter file,” Elias said. (Remember when AG Bondi said ICE would leave Minnesota if they got the voter file? Even though that’s not related to immigration or customs enforcement at all?) That way, the administration has every American’s private voter information. Trump’s team can use that to try to threaten states to remove large numbers of voters en masse, Elias said.
The second comes after the elections: “The concern is, and what we just saw in Fulton County is that … Donald Trump sends the FBI into some congressional district in a close congressional race or a statewide race for Senate, and says, ‘We’re seizing the ballots and we’re going to count them,’” Elias said. “And that’s what I am so worried about.”
Trump’s latest actions are designed to sow distrust in the election process, and the president’s musings about “nationalizing” elections are somehow among the less worrisome warning signs that we’re headed towards democratic disaster:
Trump’s attorney general attempting to force states to turn over voter files.
His henchmen in Congress pushing legislation like the SAVE and MEGA Acts, both aimed at locking the polling booths against millions of Americans by requiring IDs they don’t have and cost money to obtain (poll tax?) and the latter of which also burdens voting by mail.
MAGAs at the state level attempting an unprecedented mid-decade gerrymander in multiple states to tilt House maps in their favor.
Trump allies have suggesting deploying the secret police at polling sites. When questioned, WH Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “I can’t guarantee that an ICE agent won’t be around a polling location in November.”
Perhaps most ominously, using federal law enforcement to raid election offices and seize ballots in what might be a dress rehearsal for November.
We managed to stop Trump from stealing an election he lost in 2020. We need to be ready to do so again in the upcoming midterms. Much of the work is going to be done via litigation, and there will be many more calls to action ahead, but here are some steps we can take right now:
Let’s reach out to our attorney general, secretary of state and election administrators to urge them to make preparations now so they can go immediately to court to seek injunctions barring from the government from seizing voting machines and ballots or interfering with counts. We can find language to use for this here.
Let’s reach out to our state legislators and Gov. Braun to ensure our election administrators have the financial resources they need to hold the line against election interference, and that they’re preparing for potential subversion.
so far, Hoosier lawmakers aren’t really into it. Senate President Pro Tempore Rodric Bray, R-Martinsville, told reporters Feb. 5. "I think that's a state operation… I think Indiana does really well, we've got a lot of integrity on that." House Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, agreed that running elections is "the purview of the state," and that Indiana does it well.
Let’s volunteer as poll workers to help ensure things go smoothly on Election Day… or volunteer as a poll monitor with national election protection efforts to raise the red flag if they don’t.
Contact our senators to make it clear they cannot allow the SAVE or MEGA Acts to become law. We can find language for calls here at 5Calls and another one at 5Calls and email language here from the Brennan Center for Justice and here from MomsRising.
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‘this job sucks’
Remember the 2024 election, when way too many people said they were voting for Trump because they were worried about violent crime? So how’s that going? Well, Daniel Rosen, the top federal prosecutor in Minnesota, said that his office doesn’t have time for other priorities because they’re so backlogged with immigration cases. You know, because of the totally unnecessary surge of DHS agents to the state. Immigrants arrested and/or detained by ICE filed 427 emergency lawsuits in January alone, and that trend is expected to continue this month. So the prosecutors… don’t have time for anything else. That classic “going after bad guys” to “clogging up your operation so much that you don’t have time to go after bad guys” pipeline. To be clear, not all federal prosecutors are Kash Patel. Some of them are useful…or could be, if they had the time.
The Trump administration’s immigration agenda is pushing the Department of Justice’s own lawyers to the breaking point. In a hearing February 3rd, DOJ prosecutor Julie Le melted down in court after a judge asked her why the administration failed to comply with court orders to release immigrants in Minnesota. According to the chief federal judge in the state, Patrick Schiltz, ICE has violated close to a hundred court orders this month during its immigration crackdown in Minnesota.
“The system sucks. This job sucks… I wish you could hold me in contempt so that I could get 24 hours of sleep,” she reportedly told the judge. Her exhaustion is understandable: “A search of the court’s public docket showed Le listed as a lawyer in 88 cases, all filed since Jan. 8,” the Wall Street Journal writes.
The DOJ pulled Le from the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota after her remarks, according to Bloomberg. Here’s hoping she finally gets that nap.
STATEWIDE SHENANIGANS
success sequence
Babe, wake up; the party of small government wants to legislate how we live our lives again. Here’s what’s up: Indiana lawmakers have decided it’s time to pressure high schoolers to get married before reproducing. Officially. Our state senate recently passed a bill requiring schools to teach students the “success sequence.”
What is the “success sequence,” you ask? It’s a conservative three-step formula promising that if you graduate high school, get a full-time job, and marry before having kids – IN THAT ORDER – you have a 97% chance of not being poor. The success sequence gained popularity from a study showing that 97% of millennials who followed it avoided poverty. Follow-up research showed the order doesn’t matter, and it’s also much more effective for people who are also already *checks notes*… white. Hmm… maybe the real success sequence was the white supremacy we made along the way. Still, it’s been touted by conservative groups, including the American Enterprise Institute and the Heritage Foundation, of Project 2025 fame.
Critics and those with critical thinking skills argue this whole framework conveniently shifts blame from inadequate social safety nets onto individual choices, allowing conservatives to shame single parents, without discussing anything that would actually help lift people from poverty. In the words of our favorite State Sen. Shelli Yoder (D-Bloomington), who voted against the bill because of concerns that it would stigmatize single parents: “The student sitting there is going, ‘Huh, my parents aren’t good citizens.’ Questioning good citizenship because I was a surprise, or my mom got pregnant and had me before getting married, or never got married.”
Indiana Republicans are proud of themselves nonetheless, and proud to add this to school curricula. Sen. Spencer Deery (R-West Lafayette) said he’s thrilled about this technique that “costs us very little,” conveniently since it also accomplishes very little. Alabama, Utah, and Tennessee have passed similar bills, while Ohio, Kentucky, Mississippi, and Texas are considering similar measures. This particular bill heads to the House next week.
SOS in the SOS office
Concern that Secretary of State Diego Morales allegedly improperly handled campaign paperwork has resulted in 2026 political candidates coming back to the Statehouse to refile their paperwork. The dustup started when political blogger Abdul Hakim-Shabazz raised questions over whether the people from Morales’ office who accepted candidate filing paperwork inside the Statehouse was legally authorized to administer oaths. Morales’ office has vehemently denied doing anything wrong, but candidates came back to re-file in person at the Statehouse nonetheless. In a year with no President, Governor, or U.S. Senate race at the top of the ticket, Indiana’s most visible Republican on the ballot will likely be the Secretary of State, so… yikes.
BILL WATCH 2026
It’s that time of the session when bills find their graves. We are officially at the halfway point of the 2026 legislative session. Of the 290 Senate bills introduced this year, 112 were passed by the Senate. More than 90% of these bills passed with bipartisan support and nearly half passed with unanimous support.
Some died the normal way: The bill allowing schools to display the Ten Commandments was not called for a floor vote before the House deadline Monday. Other bills, like marijuana decriminalization ones, never got past the committee stage. We also had some unusual drama: A bill limiting local officials from buying luxury cars on taxpayers’ dime was taken off the floor-vote calendar in the House, without the permission of the Democratic bill author, allegedly due to some personal hurt feelings.
still-living bills:
SB 277: a “radical” pro-data center bill that passed the Indiana House earlier this week, would remove any say local communities might have in developments on certain types of agricultural land — from data centers to oil rigs to solar farms. The provision that such developments wouldn’t require a public hearing was so controversial in the House that it only passed because bill author Rep. Kendell Culp (R-Rensselaer), promised to improve it in the Senate. Sen. Eric Koch, (R-Bedford), who took up the bill, swiftly announced that the controversial language would be removed from the bill. Other parts of the legislation are still likely to expand data centers in Indiana. IndyStar broke it down here.
Senate Bill 277 is scheduled for a hearing this week. Take action now with Indiana Conservation Voters
HB 1002 : This bill establishes a low income energy assistance program and prohibits shutoffs during high heat index days. The bill also includes language to change how utilities file for electric rate increases, sets three performance incentives for utilities to focus on affordability and resiliency, and requires utility transparency on consumer data.
HB 1002 was passed out of the Senate Utilities Committee on Thursday and was sent to the Senate Appropriations Committee. Contact Sen. Goode to support this bill.
SB 76: This bill mandates that Indiana law enforcement must cooperate with ICE agents, and further intensifies prohibitions on the ability of state and local entities — including public colleges and universities — to restrict the enforcement of federal immigration law regardless of whether that enforcement is conducted by local or federal officials.
SB 76 is scheduled for its second reading on Monday at 1:30 pm. If you would like a script to follow when contacting legislators over the phone about this bill, you can use this document from Hoosier Asian American Power. If you would prefer to connect over email, use this form from Indiana Task Force.
While it is unclear if SB 182 will go up for discussion in front of the House Public Health Committee this Tuesday, we should continue to reach out to our representatives and make your opposition to this bill known. This is the bill that codifies definitions of “female,” “male,” “gender,” and “sex” within Indiana statutes, establishing that “sex” refers to biological sex at birth.
To contact your legislator and tell them to vote NO on SB 182, click HERE.
SB 236, which criminalizes the mailing of abortion-inducing drugs like Mifepristone and Misoprostol into Indiana, and enables private citizens to file wrongful death and qui tam lawsuits against people or organizations that provide abortion pills, is heading for discussion before the House Public Health Committee. SB-236 is a dangerous and unnecessary escalation of Indiana’s already near-total abortion ban which will further harm Hoosier women, in particular those from low-income backgrounds.
To contact your legislators and tell them to vote NO on SB-236, click here.
SB 285 is now in the House, and would add citations, fines, and jail time to the potential obstacles an individual experiencing homelessness might have to navigate to secure housing.
Each Sunday, MadVoters and Progressive Indiana Network host their weekly legislative update sessions. The session is also be streamed on YouTube and Facebook Live. Click here to register.
Billtrackers:
Chalkbeat Indiana: Education-focused; updated on Fridays
Indiana Coalition for Public Education: Education-focused
Good Trouble Coalition Indiana: Healthcare-focused
ACLU Indiana: Civil rights-focused
Indiana Wildlife Federation: Conservation-focused
Citizen’s Action Coalition: Energy- & Utility-focused
LOCAL FOCUS
primaries heat up
Friday was the filing deadline for 2026 electoral races, so now we know who will be on our ballots in May. On Friday, we saw Republican and current Vigo County School Board member Amy Lore file against Democrat and incumbent State Representative Tonya Pfaff.
As Vigo County Councilman Randy Gentry has elected not to run for the seat he was caucussed into, there is now a seven-way race (kind of?) for the District 4 spot. Maria David, Mark Minnick and Larry Thompson have filed for the Democrat primary, and Republicans running for the District 4 seat are Jim Donohue, Dusty Havens, Justin Kunz and Chase Nattkemper.
Six people are running for the County Council District 3 seat, including incumbent Vicki Weger, a Democrat. Others running in the Democratic primary are Elias Brown, Trevor Dreher, Deandre Shaffer and Kevin Southwood, while Tim Fears is running for County Council District 3 on the Republican ballot.
Three Democrats have filed for County Commissioner District 1: Michael Mareena, Lynn Morales and Danny Whitesell, and incumbent District 1 commissioner Mark Clinkenbeard faces a challenge from Jodie Akinbo in the Republican primary.
In the sheriff’s race, Larry Cheeks is seeking the party nomination on the Democrat ticket. He faces incumbent Sheriff Derek Fell and David Ewing in the the Democratic primary. Republican sheriff candidates Steve Ellis and Brad Newman will face off in that primary.
In the District 38 state senate race, another Republican, Alexandra Wilson, has filed for the seat now held by state Sen. Greg Goode, R-Terre Haute. Also in that primary is Brenda Wilson, currently a Vigo County Council member, and endorsed by Trump. Kacey Blundell has filed as a Democrat.
One new candidate, Democrat Tabitha Zeigler, has filed for the Eighth District U.S. House. She faces Mary Allen, Mario Foradori and Christopher Rector in that May primary. Mark Messmer, the Republican incumbent Eighth District congressman, is seeking re-election. No other Republican filed, according to a summary of filings from the Vigo County Clerk’s office.
GOOD TROUBLE
we all deserve safe spaces
From Red, Wine and Blue:
We were all heartbroken by the sight of 5-year-old Liam Ramos, the little boy in the bunny-eared hat and Spiderman backpack who was detained by ICE to use as bait to lure his parents into custody. Sadly, Liam is not alone.
Two children from his school were detained last week. The number of kids detained nationwide by ICE has grown six times what it was before Trump took office. No child should have to experience school like this. And the Senate has the opportunity to stop it – but we have only a few days to make a difference.
The Senate and House are negotiating this weekend for new commonsense guardrails around ICE in the Department of Homeland Security budget bill. However, the current language does nothing to protect us and our children in places that have been considered “safe spaces:” schools, hospitals, and places of worship.
UPCOMING EVENTS
visit the Blue812News Local Events calendar to see all upcoming events
Tuesday, February 10th at 3pm: Mingle with the Mayor at Grand Traverse Pie Co. At this informal and relaxed gathering, various topics will be covered each month with opportunities to ask questions and voice concerns. Free pie and coffee will be served courtesy of Clinton Gardens.
Tuesday, February 10th at 5pm: Vigo County Council Meeting in the Council Chambers in the Vigo County Government Center, 127 Oak Street
Thursday, February 12th at 6pm: Terre Haute City Council Meeting at City Hall.
Saturday, February 14th at 10am: Legislative Crackerbarrel at the Vigo County Public Library main branch 10 am - 12 pm in the lower-level meeting rooms. Hear from Vigo County’s state legislators about the committees they serve on, the bills they have sponsored or plan to sponsor, and the impact upcoming laws will have on your business, civic, and social priorities. Bring your questions regarding your legislators’ 2026 initiatives for respectful discussion with the panel during the audience question and answer session.
Sunday February 15th at 6pm: Wine & Wigs Fundraiser for Kacey Blundell Senate dist 38. At the Sycamore Winery 6-8pm. More info & register here.
Tuesday, February 17th at 5:30pm: Vigo Dems ‘event’ at 1111 Veterans Square More info here.
Thursday, February 19 at 11am: Indiana Reproductive Health Lobby Day from 11-1pm at the Indiana Statehouse, 2nd Floor South Atrium. Let’s show up strong to advocate for reproductive freedom, patient privacy, and health equity. Together, we can protect access and push back against harmful legislation.
Tuesday, February 24th at 11:30 am: Nasty Women Lunch with Mary. 11:30-1:30pm at the VCPL. Hosted by Democratic congressional candidate Mary Allen. From the organizers: "Come ask questions, share your concerns, and be part of the future we’re building — together." More info here.
mark your calendars:
Next No Kings rally - Saturday, March 28th:
END ON A HIGH NOTE
A federal judge ruled that ICE agents in Oregon cannot arrest people without warrants.
And a federal judge has blocked the administration from stripping hundreds of thousands of Haitian immigrants of their “Temporary Protected Status.” For now, at least.
An Asian elephant gave birth to a calf at the Smithsonian Zoo for the first time in nearly 25 years.
Nevada’s only Republican congressman is retiring, marking another crucial loss for Republicans heading into the midterms.
SCOTUS is letting California use the new congressional maps its voters chose last year.
The Trump administration’s repeal of the EPA’s endangerment finding has “stalled” over concerns the move won’t survive court challenges. Wow.
A federal judge permanently blocked key portions of the sweeping executive order on elections President Donald Trump signed last year.
Guinea worm disease is nearing global eradication, with just 10 cases last year. Thanks, Jimmy Carter!
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