We Asked An Expert if County Certification Fights Could Undermine Trust in the 2026 Midterms

The 2026 midterm elections should be decided at the ballot box. But the process could be disrupted in county election offices, where officials certify results that determine who moves on to elected office. Since 2020, a growing number of county officials have challenged or delayed that routine process, raising a question for November: What happens when those responsible for certifying results refuse to do so?

A single county cannot overturn an election because state laws and courts provide explicit guardrails. Certification disputes can, however, trigger lawsuits, delay results and create an opening for broader claims of illegitimate elections. We spoke with EJ Juárez, executive director of the State Innovation Exchange (SiX), to break down the greater danger to public confidence.

“Our civic muscle in this country is weak,” Juárez told us. “We have to figure out a way, as a country, to embed the principles of participatory democracy in our everyday lives, more than just casting a ballot.”

A 2024 analysis by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington found that dozens of county officials have attempted to delay or refuse certification since 2020. But a Democracy Docket investigation suggests several county officials are already raising doubts that they’ll certify the November results.

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If that happens, courts can order officials to perform their duties and states can intervene. Some states have already strengthened their laws to make certification explicitly non-discretionary, according to the Brennan Center. In several states, certification disputes have led to emergency lawsuits and court orders forcing officials to act.

“The election system itself is sound,” Juárez emphasized. “Our elections are secure in this country. Our elections are fair, and they are done and conducted by people that are professionals – who have dedicated their lives to serving our country by ensuring that we have free and fair elections.”

But the disruption can still affect voter morale and the democratic process. County results feed into statewide certification, recounts and election contests, all of which operate under strict deadlines. Even when a county ultimately certifies its results, a delay can generate uncertainty and fuel narratives about election security.

Juárez argues that the public should understand what happens behind the scenes when Americans vote. Election workers are often local officials whose work receives little attention until something goes wrong.

“It’s the person who lives a couple of blocks over for you that works with the county administration, counting these ballots with thousands of regulations around how those ballots are handled and counted and protected,” he said.

Juárez said the rhetoric surrounding election integrity predates the current wave of certification disputes. “This narrative is not new,” he said. “When we look at voter suppression, it always starts with an argument about the integrity of the process.”

He warned that voters should expect continued efforts to cast doubt on voting methods and election officials, potentially eroding trust in those conducting elections. Part of rebuilding that trust, Juárez said, means understanding how elections work. “We have made the mechanics of election administration a fairly hidden process,” he said.

SiX is working with state legislators on contingency planning for the 2026 elections, including what happens after Election Day and how results are certified. The goal, Juárez said, is to ensure officials understand their legal responsibilities before disputes arise.

“We need to fundamentally shift away from politics as a spectator sport,” Juárez said, “and instead have a much more serious, nuanced and important conversation than Red versus Blue.”