State legislative races in 2026 could shape how elections are run for decades, Honest Elections Project Action says in a report released one week before the midterms. The conservative group says the contests could decide what rules govern the 2028 presidential election.
The report points to the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact as one major issue. The compact takes effect only if participating states reach 270 electoral votes. Current member states hold 222 electoral votes after Virginia joined, the report says.
Honest Elections Project Action identifies Pennsylvania, Michigan, Nevada, Wisconsin, and Arizona as five battleground states with divided government that could become Democratic trifectas. The report uses Virginia as a model. After Democrats took full control there, Virginia expanded ranked-choice voting and joined the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.
The report also says 44 states enacted 419 election-related laws by Aug. 14. Of those, 223 were passed by Republican trifectas and 158 by Democratic trifectas. Honest Elections Project executive director Jason Snead said, “The stakes are high for election integrity this November.”
These races often draw less attention than races for Congress or governor. But state legislatures write many of the rules that determine how ballots are cast, counted, and certified. The next round of statehouse elections could set the terms for the next presidential election before the national campaign fully begins.
