Effective outrage
Defusing and redirecting threats of “ICE at the polls!”
This past Tuesday (February 3), rightwing political operative and former White House strategist Steve Bannon made a provocative statement on his War Room show, alleging that the Trump administration would be sending ICE agents to “surround” voting locations during the midterm election.
Not surprisingly, this threat of federal interference in elections was met with alarm, fear, and outrage by many Democrats (and even some Republicans). Many noted that the presence of federal immigration agents near polling locations could intimidate and even disenfranchise voters, especially Latinos and other non-white citizens who have good reasons to fear being harassed and/or detained by ICE agents based on misperceptions of their immigration status.
Steve Bannon: “...you’re damn right we’re gonna have ICE surround the polls come November.”
Voters and proponents of free and fair elections are justifiably concerned, but Bannon and others’ threats of “ICE at the polls” don’t have to come to fruition in order to serve their purpose. Our reactions to these threats will determine how effective they are at their core goal — suppressing the votes of Black and brown voters throughout the U.S. And addressing these threats will require a multi-dimensional effort by Democrats and everyone else who cares about democracy.
Let me explain and offer some advice about what needs to be done to address these threats and the role each of us can play in that effort.
Americans have good reason to worry about the 2026 elections
Americans are understandably worried about the upcoming midterm elections. There are several flashing red warning signs that the federal government plans to interfere in the 2026 midterm elections. President Trump continues to promote the Big Lie that the 2020 U.S. election was “rigged” against him. As his policies and erratic behavior sink his approval ratings and his party’s chances to win in free and fair elections in 2026, Trump and his administration are (1) exploiting the distrust they built around the 2020 election to push for policy changes and justify federal interference in the 2026 midterm election; and (2) laying the foundations of a 2026 Big Lie to delegitimize and possibly resist election results that the President and his party don’t like.
We have seen several concerning developments in the last two weeks:
On January 24, U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi (and Trump’s personal lawyer during his first impeachment in 2019) sent a letter to Tim Walz, in the midst of ongoing federal immigration operations in the state of Minnesota, that included demands that the state turn over its voter rolls to the federal government.
On January 28, the FBI raided an election facility in Fulton County, Georgia, searching for evidence to support allegations of election malfeasance. Later reports revealed that Tulsi Gabbard, current Director of National Intelligence (and noted adherent to several geopolitical conspiracy theories), was on site during the raid. Her presence — as the leader of our national intelligence — during a domestic law enforcement operation is highly irregular.
On February 2, in an interview with returned podcast host (and former FBI deputy director) Dan Bongino, President Trump proclaimed that the federal government should “take over” elections in some states, and hinted that he expected the Fulton County investigation to provide evidence to support his claims of a rigged 2020 election.
President Trump: “The Republicans should say, we want to take over, we should take over the voting, the voting in at least many, 15 places. The Republicans ought to nationalize the voting.”
All of this is highly irregular and legitimately concerning. But how we talk about and mobilize on top of these worries is going to be critical.
ICE at the polls! Unpacking Bannon’s Strategy
Bannon’s proclamation of ICE surrounding the polls in November is strategic. He is basically yelling “fire” in a crowded theater. He knows that people on the left are already concerned about that prospect, and he is fanning the flames of those fears. His objective is to cause chaos — and to suppress votes on the left. But the mechanism may not be exactly what you think.
Let me add a little context. First off, U.S. elections are administered at the state and local level. The federal government’s role has traditionally been limited to (1) protecting the right of people to vote; and (2) prosecuting people who have committed election crimes. It is expressly illegal for federal law enforcement to be deployed to voting locations.
Brennan Center: “It is illegal to deploy federal troops or armed federal law enforcement to any polling place. In fact, it is a federal crime for anyone in the U.S. military to interfere in elections in any way.”
What Steve Bannon is alleging — or advocating for, depending upon how you read it — is illegal. Bannon knows that deploying ICE to the polls would constitute illegal voter intimidation. So why is he suggesting that Trump break the law to deploy ICE to voting locations?
One argument that I have heard is that the Trump administration is already breaking any number of laws — and keeps breaking them, in some cases even after the courts rule that they are being broken — and that there is a very real threat of ICE being deployed to some polling locations in November. This is certainly possible.
But another explanation is that Bannon knows the threat of ICE at the polls is enough to suppress votes, even if federal agents never get anywhere near the polls. In other words, fears of ICE at the polls will cause voter suppression even if the Trump administration doesn’t violate the law and deploy them.
Bannon is using an informational strategy called reflexive control, a tactic of information warfare, that intentionally exploits the responses of his adversaries to inflict damage against their own interests. He is counting on our REACTION to his outrageous assertions to feed fears of federal immigration agents at polling locations.
How should we address threats of ICE at the polls?
This threat and the discourse around it put proponents of democracy in a difficult place. We are right to be — quite legitimately — both worried and outraged. And yet, by amplifying that threat (even to rage against it), we risk assisting in its purpose of intimidating voters. So, how do we address this clear attack on democracy?
Proponents of democracy will need to do several things at once:
(1) State and local officials will need to do everything in their power to ensure that people can vote safely and without fear of intimidation. Simultaneously (to the extent that it is true) they need to proactively communicate to voters that they will be safe and protected while exercising their right to vote.
(2) Political leaders, journalists, social media influencers and others should repeatedly remind audiences — including elected leaders — that the deployment of federal troops to voting locations is illegal. The Trump administration needs to understand that we know that they know that this is illegal.
(3) Journalists, non-profits, social media influencers, and everyday people need to be VERY discerning and careful about not amplifying unsubstantiated rumors about ICE or other law enforcement at the polls. We may see these rumors online and want to help others by passing them along. But while true rumors might help people keep themselves and their families safe, false rumors will suppress the vote. And it will be difficult on election day for many of us to distinguish between the two.
(4) Local parties and non-profit organizations (like the League of Women Voters) need trained observers at polling locations to document illegal intimidation of voters — and, just as importantly, to help correct false rumors of intimidation. Consider volunteering to be an observer or contributing to local organizations in potentially vulnerable areas who can provide training for observers.
(5) We also need to prepare and deploy *rapid* legal assistance to individuals and communities who are disenfranchised by illegal intimidation (or anything else) when attempting to exercise their right to vote. There are people and organizations out there who already do this work, but it is likely that they will be stretched thin in the coming cycle.
(6) Perhaps the most sophisticated strategy is to capture the attention and outrage of these threats, but shift that energy to support our objectives. Instead of feeding fears, use this outrage to motivate ourselves and others to make and execute a voting plan — vote early, vote by mail if we can, go to the polls with friends, but most importantly, VOTE, because democracy is quite literally under attack.
Thank you‼️