You’re reading The Briefing, Michael Waldman’s weekly newsletter. Click here to receive it in your inbox. The late 19th century was a dismal time in American politics. Corruption ran rampant. Congress ...

This article first appeared in Just Security. In the 1970s, congressional investigators revealed that the FBI, NSA, and CIA had spent decades illegally surveilling and harassing the civil rights and ...

Since May, the Trump administration has been on a quest to collect complete voter files from almost every state. Most states have refused the Justice Department’s unprecedented demands for the data, ...

The Brennan Center’s 2026 survey of local election officials finds ongoing concerns about government support, personal safety, and political interference. Federal cuts to election security support, ...

New research shows that a restrictive voting law in Texas made people less likely to vote for at least two years after having a mail ballot application or ballot rejected. As we showed in 2022, the ...

Many things propelled Donald Trump’s election victory. Inflation. A worldwide anti-incumbent backlash. Anger at institutions. A swing to the right among working-class voters of all racial backgrounds.

You’re reading The Briefing, Michael Waldman’s weekly newsletter. Click here to receive it in your inbox. Last week, President Trump signed an executive order purporting to upend mail voting. It’s ...

The 20 years since 9/11 have seen sweeping changes to how we think about national security and go about protecting it. Some of the changes, like increased intelligence sharing among executive branch ...

Americans head to the polls this fall in arguably the most important election in modern history. More than just a contest between candidates or parties, the 2024 general election will decide the ...

False claims have eroded trust in elections and provoked a wave of anti-voter laws. The Brennan Center offers recommendations for how to fight back. Election deniers are working to undermine ...

In an unprecedented year so far for voting legislation, 19 states have enacted 33 laws that will make it harder for Americans to vote. Editor’s note: A recap of 2021’s voting laws as well as a look at ...