New ‘Election Risk Heat Map’ Charts Threat of Local Election Interference
The threat to free and fair elections extends far beyond the White House. That’s why today, Voting Rights Lab launched the Election Risk Heat Map, a first-of-its-kind tool to assess those threats from county to county.
The Heat Map spotlights the counties where close contests, bad actors, and systemic weaknesses collide to increase the risk of election manipulation. The tool shows where — and how — election deniers are in position to interfere with the 2026 midterms across 106 counties that will determine control of Congress.
Click Here to View the All-New Election Risk Heat Map*
“American elections are resilient — even as fake elector schemes, frivolous recounts, and interference with certification have tested them for half a decade,” said Samantha Tarazi, CEO and co-founder of Voting Rights Lab. “Still, the president continues to sow mistrust in our elections. And as his allies assume greater control of local election offices, we expect to see similar efforts this November. Whether these election deniers are successful — or whether our checks and balances hold — could determine control over Congress.”
The Heat Map is a data-driven tool designed by the election policy experts at Voting Rights Lab, the nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that tracks and analyzes election policy nationwide. It’s free to use and is designed for reporters, academics, and advocates tracking threats to free and fair elections in 2026.
Voting Rights Lab identified more than 700 noteworthy counties across 23 states through the development of the Heat Map — each selected due to the presence of a close congressional or statewide election. Election deniers hold positions of power in 106 of those counties.
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Voting Rights Lab is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that brings state policy and legislative expertise to the fight for voting rights. We work in partnership with organizations across the country to secure, protect, and defend the voting rights of all Americans. And we track voting laws and legislation in all 50 states at tracker.votingrightslab.org.
Our heat map provides nonpartisan educational research for 501(c)(3)-compliant purposes only. Users may not use information available through this website for any partisan, political, or electioneering activity, or for any unlawful purpose, including voter intimidation, harassment, threats, political violence, discrimination, or efforts to interfere with elections or voting rights. Voting Rights Lab reserves the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate any user’s access to this website, at any time and for any reason, with or without notice.