Press Release: How State Legislatures Can Strengthen Election Integrity and Security
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Press Release: How State Legislatures Can Strengthen Election Integrity and Security
New Resource from State Futures and the Brennan Center Details How State Legislatures Can Act as Federal Infrastructure Erodes
JANUARY 6, 2026 - WASHINGTON, D.C. – As the nation heads into an unprecedented election year marked by escalating threats to election administration and a dramatic federal retreat from election security, a new issue brief released today by State Futures and the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law provides an urgent roadmap for how state legislatures can protect election integrity, defend election workers, and preserve public trust in democracy.
The issue brief, How State Legislators Can Protect Election Integrity and Security, comes at a critical moment. States have long borne primary responsibility for administering and securing elections, but recent cuts to federal cybersecurity support, the defunding of national information-sharing networks, weakened deterrence against election threats, and new federal efforts to interfere directly in state election administration have stripped away key layers of coordination, resources, and backup that states and local officials have relied on for years.
“We are heading into a high-risk election cycle with states doing the same core work they have always done — but with far less federal support behind them,” said Gaby Goldstein, President of State Futures. “State legislators are central to ensuring elections remain secure, fair, and functional. This brief is a practical playbook for how lawmakers can use their authority to meet that responsibility at a moment of heightened risk.”
The brief documents a rapidly deteriorating federal election security landscape, including reductions in election security staffing and services at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA); the elimination of funding for national information-sharing networks; weakened accountability for election-related threats and intimidation; and new executive actions signaling direct federal interference in voting systems, mail voting, and election administration.
Drawing on real-world examples from across the country, the resource outlines concrete steps legislators can take now, including:
Protecting voting systems through access controls, chain-of-custody requirements, robust testing, and risk-limiting audits;
Defending election workers from threats, harassment, and doxing, and strengthening penalties for intimidation;
Replacing lost federal support by funding state-level cybersecurity tools, election security navigator programs, and interagency response teams;
Using oversight and investigations to expose interference, demand transparency, and build public trust; and
Exercising public leadership to counter misinformation and reassure voters.
The brief is intended as a practical, nonpartisan resource for lawmakers across chambers and parties who recognize that secure, trusted elections are foundational to democratic governance.
Read the full issue brief: How State Legislators Can Protect Election Integrity and Security
About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit supporting a growing network of more than 650 values-aligned state legislators and State Financial Officers across the country. State Futures facilitates cross-state collaboration on democracy and elections, labor, health care, immigration and capital strategies, supporting both rapid-response coordination and long-term policy working groups. For more information, visit https://www.statefutures.org.
About the Brennan Center for Justice
The Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law is a nonpartisan law and policy institute working to reform, revitalize — and when necessary, defend — the nation’s systems of democracy and justice. The Brennan Center focuses on voting rights, election security, campaign finance reform, and protecting constitutional democracy through research, advocacy, and litigation. For more information, visit https://www.brennancenter.org/
Media Contact:
Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Email: gaby@statefutures.org
Website: www.statefutures.org
Press Release: State Futures Joined by State Lawmakers from 7 States for Joint Briefing on Rule-of-Law Legislation and Coordinated Federal Response
State Futures hosted twelve state legislators from seven states for a joint virtual press conference highlighting a coordinated, multi-state effort to respond to escalating federal actions that undermine constitutional protections, target immigrant communities, and disregard court orders. During the briefing, lawmakers shared updates on bills already enacted in their states, and discussed legislation set to be introduced in upcoming legislative sessions and the value of cross-state collaboration.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
PRESS RELEASE: State Futures Joined by State Lawmakers from 7 States for Joint Briefing on Rule-of-Law Legislation and Coordinated Federal Response
Lawmakers from across the country outlined enacted and forthcoming legislation to protect civil rights, counter federal overreach, and uphold the rule of law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – December 18, 2025 – State Futures hosted twelve state legislators from seven states for a joint virtual press conference highlighting a coordinated, multi-state effort to respond to escalating federal actions that undermine constitutional protections, target immigrant communities, and disregard court orders. During the briefing, lawmakers shared updates on bills already enacted in their states, and discussed legislation set to be introduced in upcoming legislative sessions and the value of cross-state collaboration.
Participating state lawmakers with enacted and proposed rule-of-law protection bills included:
California Asm. Alex Lee
Colorado Sen. Mike Weissman and Rep. Lorena Garcia
Illinois Sen. Graciela Guzmán
Maryland Del. Nicole Williams
New York Sens. Andrew Gounardes, Patricia Fahy, Shelley Mayer, and Zellnor Myrie, and Asm. Micah Lasher
Pennsylvania Sen. Amanda Cappelletti
Virginia Del. Irene Shin
BACKGROUND:
Across the country, state lawmakers are stepping in as the federal government abandons long-standing norms and obligations. Federal immigration enforcement has become increasingly aggressive and opaque, including the use of masked agents and raids in sensitive locations such as schools, libraries, and courthouses.
In response, states have advanced a suite of rule-of-law protections, including:
Bans on 287(g) agreements between state and local police and ICE
“No Secret Police” bills prohibiting masked law enforcement and requiring visible identification
Protections for sensitive locations such as schools, churches, and libraries
Private rights of action allowing residents to sue under state law if their civil rights are violated by federal agents
Together, these protections form the backbone of a coordinated response to federal overreach. States have a tremendous opportunity to work together to protect communities and the rule of law, and lawmakers emphasized that collaboration across states is essential to elevating and sustaining this movement.
The lawmakers sent a clear message: when the federal government fails to uphold the rule of law, states are stepping up - together - to protect their communities and defend constitutional principles.
Read more.
New Op Ed: Collective State Action Can Protect Democracy
In a new op ed for Democracy Docket, State Futures President Gaby Goldstein highlights how states are defending democracy, protecting elections, and coordinating on public health, climate, labor standards, and more.
Read more.
Press Release - Strengthening Workers’ Rights through Interstate Cooperation
A new report released today by State Futures and the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative lays out a bold, practical roadmap for how states can join forces to protect workers’ rights in the face of federal retreat on workers’ rights.
The Issue Brief, Strengthening Workers’ Rights and Labor Protections Through Interstate Cooperation, offers a playbook for how states can coordinate policy, enforcement and visibility - using tools like interstate compacts and tactics like joint enforcement, resource pooling, and coordinating legislation to amplify impact across borders.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts:
Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Website: https://www.statefutures.org
Terri Gerstein, Director, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
Website: https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative
Date: September 29, 2025
As Federal Labor Protections Diminish, New Report Charts Collaborative State Response
State Futures and NYU Wagner Labor Initiative release roadmap for interstate action on workers’ rights
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A new report released today by State Futures and the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative lays out a bold, practical roadmap for how states can join forces to protect workers’ rights in the face of federal retreat on workers’ rights.
The Issue Brief, Strengthening Workers’ Rights and Labor Protections Through Interstate Cooperation, offers a playbook for how states can coordinate policy, enforcement and visibility - using tools like interstate compacts and tactics like joint enforcement, resource pooling, and coordinating legislation to amplify impact across borders.
“This is a moment of crisis, but also one of opportunity,” said Gaby Goldstein, President of State Futures. “States don’t need permission to act. By sharing resources, harmonizing standards, coordinating legislation and holding low-road employers accountable across borders, states can reshape the labor landscape on behalf of working people despite the disintegration of federal protections.”
“At this time of federal rollbacks, states are a crucial defense against corporations that commit wage theft, provide dangerous workplaces, illegally retaliate, and otherwise exploit workers,” said Terri Gerstein, Director of the NYU Wagner Labor Initiative. “By taking joint action and collaborating, states can achieve greater impact and economies of scale—not only enforcing existing laws but also achieving genuine wins and advancing workers’ rights.”
The brief shares existing examples of state cooperation and outlines new proposals such as:
Regional mediation services to replace the dismantled Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service (FMCS);
Shared databases of labor violators to coordinate debarment and enforcement;
Augmented joint enforcement against corporations that violate laws in multiple states;
Joint “drop dates” for labor legislation across states to build visibility and momentum; and
Interstate Compacts to raise labor standards and align procurement
This brief follows a recent Labor Day op-ed by Goldstein and Gerstein in Talking Points Memo, calling for a multi-state surge of pro-worker policy as federal institutions retreat. The brief builds on that vision with specific strategies and tools that can be adapted by lawmakers, governors, attorneys general, and labor commissioners.
About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit that supports a growing network of 600+ values-aligned state legislators and State Financial Officers, facilitating cross-state collaboration on issues like labor, health care, immigration, and elections. State Futures supports both rapid-response coordination and long term working groups that serve as hubs of policy expertise, strategy, and multi-state action. For more, visit https://www.statefutures.org.
About NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
The NYU Wagner Labor Initiative studies and catalyzes the often-untapped potential of government in relation to workers' rights. Based at NYU’s Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, the Labor Initiative helps government work for workers, by serving as a hub of analysis, research, and implementation guidance, as well as idea generation and dissemination, related to the role of government in advancing and protecting workers’ rights, with a special focus on state and local government. For more, visit https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative
Media Contacts:
Gaby Goldstein, President, State Futures
Website: www.statefutures.org
Terri Gerstein, Director, NYU Wagner Labor Initiative
Website: https://wagner.nyu.edu/laborinitiative
New Op Ed: State Lawmakers Are Fighting for Communities + Rule of Law
In a new op ed for Talking Points Memo, State Futures President Gaby Goldstein argues that the arrest of 11 New York state legislators and the viral video of an Illinois lawmaker racing down a suburban street confronting masked federal agents capture something too often overlooked: while the federal government carries out a deeply unpopular agenda, state lawmakers are fighting back visibly and boldly. A hopeful story is unfolding as legislators defend communities with their voices and their bodies, uphold the rule of law, and embody a vision of government that protects rather than persecutes.The next step is to knit these efforts together so the energy in Illinois, New York, and beyond becomes a coordinated front.
Press Release - Issue Brief: Immigration + Rule of Law
State Futures today released a new Issue Brief spotlighting the surge of state-level action on immigration. The memo is packed with examples of bills, hearings, lawsuits, and communications from across the country. It’s a compendium for lawmakers, activists and journalists looking for ideas and examples of how states can assert authority in response to an emboldened federal immigration agenda.
Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gaby Goldstein, President
Website: www.statefutures.org
Date: September 17, 2025
State Futures Releases Issue Brief: State Legislators Respond to Federal Immigration Policy
New Issue Brief tracks dozens of examples of state-level responses to federal overreach.
Washington, DC — State Futures today released a new Issue Brief spotlighting the surge of state-level action on immigration. The memo is packed with examples of bills, hearings, lawsuits, and communications from across the country. It’s a compendium for lawmakers, activists and journalists looking for ideas and examples of how states can assert authority in response to an emboldened federal immigration agenda.
“Last week, the Supreme Court greenlit racial profiling in immigration enforcement,” said Gaby Goldstein, Founder and President of State Futures. “If Washington cannot - or will not - protect communities and the rule of law, states must. Not timidly or in isolation, but creatively, aggressively, and collaboratively. The good news is, they already are - if you know where to look. There is a massive swell of state activity - but until now, concrete examples have been scattered and siloed. This Issue Brief pulls them together in one place: a clear framework, dozens of case studies, and a roadmap for how states can act.”
Highlights from the Issue Brief include:
Legislation: From New York’s “Avelo Airlines bill,” to bills in 3 states to withhold federal taxes if DC owes the state funds, to 7 states banning local ICE partnerships.
Oversight & Investigations: State lawmakers in Florida and New York forcing access to detention facilities, holding “people’s hearings,” and creating task forces.
Litigation: Legislators are serving as plaintiffs and witnesses in lawsuits against federal detention practices and facilities.
Strategic Communications: Cross-state press conferences, floor speeches, and social campaigns making the fight visible.
The Issue Brief comes on the heels of a cross-state policy convening hosted by State Futures, where legislators shared ideas and learnings, as well as a recent national mobilization call - co-hosted by State Futures with Public Citizen, Indivisible, MoveOn, and Stand Up America - that drew thousands of participants into a conversation about the crucial role of state electeds in protecting the rule of law.
About State Futures
State Futures is a national nonprofit that supports a network of 550+ values-aligned state policymakers, including legislators and State Financial Officers. Our network helps state leaders learn from each other, innovate together, and take coordinated action across states.
Media Contact:
Gaby Goldstein, President
www.statefutures.org
New Op Ed: A Labor Day Call for Action From the States
In this Labor Day op ed for Talking Points Memo, State Futures President Gaby Goldstein and NYU Wagner Labor Initiative Director Terri Gerstein argue that as the Trump administration and conservatives in Congress eviscerate workers’ rights, this is a moment for states to act — and not timidly or in isolation. States have extraordinary untapped power, especially if they choose to wield it together. As federal labor protections crumble, states must fill the void, thinking boldly, cooperatively and creatively about how to build a country that supports working people.
New Op Ed: Blue State Dems Are Having an Overdue Reckoning With Their Own Power
In this op ed for Talking Points Memo, State Futures President Gaby Goldstein explains that while immediate headlines are about redistricting, the more significant story is the growing willingness of blue states to use power more forcefully in an era of declining federal reliability and rising authoritarian threat. If gerrymandering is now back on the table, then the real opportunity lies in something broader: a more serious and strategic approach to wielding blue state power.