Try and Stop Us Digest — September 22, 2026

Must Read

Show Me Chaos: Missouri's Gerrymander Is Back... For About A Week, Probably

A federal appeals court revived Missouri's Republican-drawn congressional map Monday, but election law experts say the ruling is unlikely to survive the week. Politico / Election Law Blog: The 8th Circuit ordered Missouri to use the GOP map this year, reversing the Missouri Supreme Court's 7-0 rejection of it. The panel gave opponents one week to seek Supreme Court relief before the new map takes effect; People Not Politicians Missouri says it will file an emergency appeal. Election law professor Justin Levitt argues the same reasoning that led the Supreme Court to reject this map on Sept. 10 still applies, plus new problems — including a federal statute that appears to bar a single judge from issuing the kind of injunction underlying this ruling. Levitt's read: another stay is coming, and "the last week's worth of frenzy will have amounted, effectively, to a performative waste of time."

Newly Released DHS Documents Show Details Of DHS’s Attack On Voting

A newly disclosed DHS email shows the department compiled a nationwide list of

counties that print ballots in languages other than English. NPR / Atlanta Journal-Constitution: DHS says it's simply making sure language barriers can't excuse illegal voting, but DNC litigation director Dan Freeman says the "logical inference" is that DHS is targeting these jurisdictions for prosecution. The document surfaced through the DNC's ongoing lawsuit over whether the administration plans to send federal agents to polling places.

Democrats are now demanding DHS turn over a second document: a 12-page "law enforcement voter integrity" checklist the department has withheld since July. Democracy Docket: DHS blamed an "administrative error" for the delay and says the document still needs DOJ legal review before release. It's unclear which law enforcement agency the checklist was written for, or why DHS's border-security policy office — which has nothing to do with elections — helped write it.

DOJ Announces Tiny Handful Of New Noncitizen Voting Charges Across 7 States

The Justice Department charged 16 people with illegally voting as noncitizens in Michigan, Wisconsin, Texas, Georgia, New Jersey, Idaho, and Massachusetts. Votebeat: The cases span nearly two decades of elections and mostly involve lawful permanent residents accused of falsely claiming citizenship at registration years ago. Noncitizen voting remains extremely rare nationally, even as it has become a central Republican focus this cycle.

In The States

CALIFORNIA — Sens. Schiff and Padilla asked California's attorney general to open his own investigation into the DHS whistleblower's claims. Democracy Docket: The senators argue agents impersonating California voters to search the state's portal may have independently violated state law, separate from any federal violation. DHS training materials show California's voter portal was specifically built into an internal USCIS search tool.