Home Stretch
Summary
Josh and Kate analyze the Trump administration's coordinated effort to disrupt the 2026 midterms through mail-in ballot restrictions, voter purges, and census manipulation. They detail the legal chaos surrounding the USPS citizenship verification rule, noting its potential to invalidate millions of ballots and the Supreme Court's role in shielding it from review. The episode also covers the Missouri redistricting crisis, where conflicting federal and state court orders have left election officials in a legal limbo over which map to use.
Topics discussed
Introduction: Whole-of-government attack on elections
Mail-in ballot chaos and the 'one bad apple' rule
Legal hurdles: Purcell principle and state obligations
Supreme Court trends and contingency plans for voters
Census manipulation and non-citizen voter purges
Standing issues and the fight over federal injunctions
Strategic skepticism: Why the administration may hesitate
Redistricting gains and the role of the Roberts Court
Judicial legitimacy and the erosion of precedent
State sovereignty and the limits of federal power
Missouri gerrymander: The referendum and state court ruling
Contradictory injunctions in the Kansas City seat dispute
Federal-state court conflicts and contempt proceedings
Racial gerrymandering and the primary/general map split
Judicial selection processes and media coverage gaps
Local news decay and the importance of long-term reporting
Future ballot measures and the November vote
Closing remarks and credits
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