Trump Proposes 'Disturbing' Plan to Exploit Voting Loophole Against Blue States

Analysis warns Trump could use the Voting Rights Act to target majority-minority areas for federal oversight of elections

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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President Donald Trump has suggested 'nationalizing' elections and targeting areas with large Black voter populations like Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta for federal oversight, according to an analysis by Hayes Brown. While the Supreme Court struck down the formula used by the Voting Rights Act, the law itself still allows Congress to set parameters on federal elections that could then be applied to state and local voting, potentially restricting early voting, mail voting, and other measures that make voting more accessible.

Why it matters

Trump's proposal to use the Voting Rights Act to target majority-minority areas for federal oversight of elections is seen as a disturbing attempt to restrict voting access in Democratic strongholds, undermining the very purpose of the civil rights law.

The details

According to the analysis, Trump could try to either legislatively or judicially force 'preclearance' - the requirement that certain jurisdictions get federal approval for voting changes - onto blue states as a means of restricting early voting, mail voting, and other options that make voting more accessible. This would target the same areas that the Voting Rights Act was originally intended to protect.

  • On February 9, 2026, the analysis by Hayes Brown was published on MS NOW.

The players

Donald Trump

The former president of the United States who has suggested 'nationalizing' elections and targeting majority-minority areas for federal oversight.

Hayes Brown

The author of the analysis published on MS NOW warning about Trump's 'disturbing' proposal to exploit the Voting Rights Act.

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What they’re saying

“Take a look at Detroit. Take a look at Philadelphia. Take a look at Atlanta. There are some areas that are unbelievably corrupt. I could give you plenty of more too. I say that we cannot have corrupt elections”

— Donald Trump (NBC)

“In that context, we can see how disturbing Trump's nationalization suggestion really is. The areas that he would target for federal oversight include many of the same areas that the Voting Rights Act would have most fervently protected.”

— Hayes Brown, Author (MS NOW)

The takeaway

Trump's proposal to use the Voting Rights Act to target majority-minority areas for federal oversight of elections represents a concerning attempt to restrict voting access in Democratic strongholds, undermining the civil rights law's original purpose of protecting the voting rights of marginalized communities.