WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Civil Liberties Union announced it will spend more than $50 million on the 2026 midterm election, which the organization stated is its largest election investment to date. Half of the $50 million will go toward efforts to ensure the smooth administration of elections.

ACLU officials stated they will train and deploy more than 100 paid staff members and over 3,000 volunteer leaders to encourage people to vote, ensure voter access, and monitor ballot counting and certification. The deployed staff and volunteer leaders will coordinate thousands of other volunteers. The ACLU has already trained 5,000 individuals on election work and plans to train an additional 5,000. Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin are expected to receive the bulk of this investment.

Widespread monitoring of the canvass and certification processes marks a new initiative for the organization. Deidre Schifeling, ACLU chief political and advocacy officer, said, "We are in a really unprecedented situation here with this administration's abuses of power and concerted attempts to suppress voters, to gerrymander, to basically co-opt our democratic system." She added that if the administration undermines the legitimacy of the democratic process, the ACLU will be ready to react through methods such as litigation, protests, or public information campaigns. "So we are prepared, but we hope that we don't need to use this tool," Schifeling said. The ACLU is currently involved in more than 80 lawsuits concerning voting rights issues across two dozen states and Washington, D.C.

Local ACLU affiliates placed monitors on the ground to observe voting and vote counting in seven Georgia counties during a primary held last month. The organization intends to expand this monitoring to 30 counties in Georgia in November. Schifeling cited signals received and actions taken by the current administration to intervene in elections, undermine mail-in voting, and involve the Department of Justice in election processes. In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to create federal voter lists and another requiring the U.S. Postal Service not to deliver certain ballots.

The other half of the national $50 million investment will target down-ballot races and ballot measure campaigns. This includes state Supreme Court races in Montana and North Carolina, and secretary of state races in Arizona and Nevada. The group also plans to engage in state legislative contests in North Carolina, Montana, Georgia, and Michigan.