Try and Stop Us Digest — July 22, 2026
Your daily brief on the fight for the vote: Trump won't punish China over the claims he built his speech around, Arizona Republicans nominate a slate of election deniers, the DOJ seizes on a New Jersey software glitch, and GOP lawmakers compare voting rights to bottomless pasta.
Voters should pick their leaders — not the other way around. We're here to make sure they do. Just try and stop us. Here's your daily brief on the fight for the vote.
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Trump Won't Punish China Over Election Claims
Bloomberg: Asked if China would face consequences for election meddling, Trump shrugged it off — saying the two countries “do things to each other” and it's “not a one-way” street. “It took place a long time ago,” Trump told reporters, downplaying the odds of any real retaliation against Beijing over the accusation he made the centerpiece of his primetime speech.
New York Times: The documents Trump declassified to prove China meddled actually build a stronger case against Russia. The files show senior Russian officials, including Putin himself, worked to damage Biden's 2020 campaign through a “high-profile corruption scandal” built around Hunter Biden and Burisma. “He forgets or just omits that the biggest country that tries to influence on every election is Russia,” said Sen. Mark Warner. “We've documented that time and again.”
Arizona Republicans Nominate a Slate of Election Deniers
Politico: Arizona GOP nominees for governor, secretary of state, and attorney general built their campaigns on 2020 denial — the same losing formula from 2022. Rep. Andy Biggs helped try to overturn the 2020 results on Jan. 6. Alexander Kolodin represented Arizona's fake electors and was disciplined by the state bar. Warren Petersen launched the taxpayer-funded Maricopa County audit that led to a federal subpoena. In 2022, Arizona Republicans ran the identical playbook with Kari Lake, Blake Masters and Mark Finchem and lost every single statewide race.
Republicans Are Comparing Voting Rights to Bottomless Pasta
New York Times: GOP lawmakers invoked Olive Garden's ID policy for its pasta pass seven times in a single House hearing to defend the SAVE Act. The comparison ignores that the SAVE Act would require a passport or birth certificate beyond photo ID — documents Olive Garden doesn't ask for. “Voting is not pasta,” said Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández.
In the States
New Jersey: A Software Error Registered 6,600 Noncitizens — and the DOJ Is Using It to Demand Confidential Voter Data
Axios / Democracy Docket: Gov. Mikie Sherrill said a Motor Vehicle Commission software glitch mistakenly registered people who had correctly told the state they weren't citizens; fewer than 400 ever voted. Hours later, DOJ opened a civil rights probe and demanded the full names, birthdates and voting records of everyone affected, even though the department is 0-16 in court on similar voter-roll demands.
Arizona: Nearly 1,000 Ballots Never Reached Voters in a County With a Large Indigenous Population — and the Recorder Didn't Tell Anyone for Weeks
Bloomberg: Navajo County's recorder said his office received over 900 mailed ballots back as undeliverable, with no explanation. He didn't disclose it publicly until a July 14 board meeting — three weeks after the ballots were sent. “We are concerned that the public was not informed sooner,” said Alex Gulotta of All Voting Is Local. USPS and the state attorney general are now investigating.
Minnesota: Mike Lindell Insists He's Registered to Vote Despite Minnesota's Records Saying Otherwise
Talking Points Memo: Lindell told TPM his expired temporary driver's license registered him automatically — but Minnesota's Secretary of State says his office “does not have an active record.” Lindell has an active registration in Texas.
What Experts Are Saying
David Becker, Executive Director, Center for Election Innovation & Research: On why New Jersey's software error is exactly the kind of rare, small-scale mistake Trump is exaggerating into a crisis: “While administrative errors such as New Jersey's do infrequently occur, they are very rare and affect a very small fraction of voters. The states entrusted to run our elections are best positioned to detect and correct these errors, as they have access to substantially better data than the federal government.” (Democracy Docket)
Matt Salmon, former U.S. Representative (R-Ariz.): On why election denialism is a “stone around your neck” for Republicans: “In the Republican Party in Arizona, in the primary, carrying the Trump line on virtually everything — and that includes election denialism — is still something that benefits you. [But] among independents and moderate Republicans who vote in the general election, election denialism is not an asset. … It's a stone around your neck.” (Politico)
Headlines
Trump's Attacks on Voting
NOTUS: Federal appeals court upholds Peter Navarro's criminal conviction
In the States
Baltimore Sun: August special session of Maryland General Assembly to focus solely on redistricting
Bolts: GOP-run Missouri becomes latest state to roll back felony disenfranchisement
NOTUS: Wisconsin Democrats ask elections commission to allow voters to recast absentee ballots
Democracy Docket: Maryland governor candidate tries, fails to soften election denier views
Courthouse News: RNC denied access to New Jersey voter rolls
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