ACLU to monitor election certification as part of $50 million midterm effort

Half of the group’s spending will go toward ensuring the proper administration of elections in key states amid Trump’s efforts to exert greater influence over the process.

The American Civil Liberties Union will spend more than $50 million on the 2026 midterm election, with half going toward efforts to ensure smooth administration of elections as President Donald Trump seeks to exert more control over the process.

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In plans shared first with NBC News, ACLU officials said they will train and deploy more than 100 paid staff members and more than 3,000 volunteer leaders to encourage people to vote and to ensure voter access while monitoring ballot counting and certification.

Those people will coordinate thousands of other volunteers. The ACLU said it has already trained 5,000 people on election work and plans to train 5,000 more.