OPINION: Federal Government Cannot Interfere in Election Certification

By Lexi Kennard

Last week, U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche was asked whether there is any scenario in which the Department of Justice would try to block states from certifying the election. He did not rule it out explicitly.

Brennan Center for Justice election certification expert Lauren Miller-Karalunas responded on Bluesky (full text below), explaining that certification is a state process and federal interference is improper.

Lexi Kennard is Senior Political Media Strategist, Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law

From: Lauren Miller-Karalunas at 2:45 PM October 22, 2026.

Let’s be clear: the state certification process is just that — a state process. There is no role for the federal government to play that’s not inherently improper.

Rest assured, state certification processes were created to meet this moment. Centuries ago, state legislatures recognized that bad actors could use the process to manipulate election outcomes. They built in safeguards specifically designed to stop that from happening.

Curious as to what those safeguards look like? These guides for battleground states walk you through them.

Want to know the certification deadlines for battleground states this election cycle? Here’s a breakdown I put together earlier this month.

And for more on the history behind election certification, look no further than this comprehensive article I and my colleague Will Wilder authored ahead of the 2024 election.