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exclusive insights. Follow and listen wherever you get your podcasts. This is Fresh Air. I'm Tanya

Mosley. The 2026 midterms are a little over a year away,

but questions about election integrity are already front and center. Just this week,

the New York Times reported that the Justice Department is quietly working to build a national

voter role by collecting sensitive voter data from states, a move

experts warn could be used to revive false claims of widespread fraud and undermine confidence in

future elections. And recently, President Trump has openly proposed using executive power to ban

both mail-in ballots and electronic voting machines. My guest today, law scholar

Richard Hassan, has warned in a recent op-ed, then an order like that would not only be against the law,

it would wield, as he writes, the machinery of government to sow doubt, undermine trust, and tilt the

election playing field. Those warnings echo a broader

wave of concern. Earlier this week, Mother Jones also published a report on what it's calling

Project 2026, a coordinated effort by Trump and his allies to rewrite voting rules, redraw congressional

maps, and pressure state and federal officials who are responsible

for overseeing elections. It all raises a profound question. Are our democratic institutions strong

enough to withstand that kind of strain? Richard Hassan teaches law and political science at UCLA,

where he directs the Safeguarding Democracy Project.

He's also the author of numerous books on election law and democracy, including his most recent,

A Real Right to Vote, How a Constitutional Amendment can safeguard American Democracy.

Our interview was recorded on Tuesday. Richard Hassan, welcome to fresh air.

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