There’s a special kind of dread that settles in when you realize the coup isn’t coming — it’s already here, wearing a name tag that says “State Legislature” and carrying a stack of bills written by the same three think‑tank interns who apparently hate democracy more than they hate sunlight. And 2025–26 has been a banner year for these people. According to the Brennan Center, at least 31 restrictive voting laws were enacted in 2025 across 16 states, with 486 restrictive bills introduced nationwide — because nothing says “land of the free” like a legislative assembly line churning out barriers like they’re making knockoff handbags.
And just to make sure the authoritarian vibes really pop, 20 states passed 37 restrictive laws targeting proof of citizenship, mail‑in voting, and voter ID — with five states responsible for nearly half of them. Because why spread the fascism evenly when you can concentrate it like a bad kombucha?
Let’s talk specifics, because the devil isn’t in the details — the devil is the details.
New Hampshire, bless its flinty little heart, is pushing SB 218, a bill requiring documentary proof of citizenship for absentee registration. It’s crawling through committee like a zombie that refuses to die, and it’s “likely to pass,” because apparently the Live Free or Die state has decided to try both options at once.
Texas, meanwhile, tried to pass a high‑priority proof‑of‑citizenship bill — one of 15 such bills introduced in the state — but it died at the end of session. Don’t worry, though: they still introduced 10 separate bills tightening voter ID, because if there’s one thing Texas loves, it’s making voting harder than getting a driver’s license at the DMV during Mercury retrograde.
Wyoming and Indiana both passed proof‑of‑citizenship requirements earlier in the year, because nothing says “we trust our voters” like demanding paperwork most Americans don’t have. A Brennan Center study found 1 in 9 Americans lack documents proving citizenship, and only half have a passport — but sure, let’s make that the new standard. What could go wrong?
Nevada’s GOP governor vetoed a bipartisan voter ID bill — not because he suddenly discovered a conscience, but because it didn’t go far enough. He wanted voter ID for mail ballots too. When your objection to a restrictive bill is that it’s insufficiently restrictive, you’re not governing — you’re auditioning for a Heritage Foundation calendar.
And then there’s the constitutional amendment parade. Arkansas, Kansas, and South Dakota have already certified 2026 ballot measures to enshrine citizenship‑only voting in their constitutions — despite the fact that no state currently allows noncitizens to vote in state or local elections. This is the legislative equivalent of installing a moat around your house because you saw a duck once.
Meanwhile, Alaska, California, Michigan, and West Virginia are gathering signatures or votes for similar measures, because nothing says “we’re totally not coordinating” like four states pushing the same ballot language at the same time.
And let’s not forget the Trump factor — because of course there’s a Trump factor. His 2025 executive order on elections, the one that tried to make voter registration harder nationwide, didn’t just sit on a shelf. It metastasized. Statehouses took it as a to‑do list. Proof‑of‑citizenship mandates? Check. Eliminating grace periods for mail ballots? Check. Attacking military and overseas voters? Check. According to the Voting Rights Lab, 2025 saw the highest share of restrictive laws since tracking began, with proof‑of‑citizenship bills introduced in 59 states (yes, you read that right — 59 bills across the states) and 160 bills targeting voter ID. This isn’t organic. This is a franchise.
And while all this is happening, the federal government is playing its own little game of “How much pressure can we apply before someone sues us?” The DOJ is demanding voter rolls. The FBI is raiding election offices. The DNI is showing up in places she has no business being. But that’s Episode 6’s problem. For now, we’re staying in the states — the laboratories of democracy, currently cooking meth.
What ties all of this together is the sheer volume. The speed. The shamelessness. 47 states considered restrictive bills in 2025. 31 states considered election‑interference bills. 631 expansive bills were introduced, but only 30 passed, because apparently expanding voting access is now gauche.
This isn’t a wave. It’s a flood. A coordinated, strategic, data‑driven assault on the mechanics of voting itself. And it’s happening in broad daylight, with lawmakers smiling for the cameras while they do it, because they know the point isn’t to hide the coup — it’s to normalize it.
Episode 5 is the moment in the series where the reader realizes the coup isn’t theoretical. It’s not looming. It’s not a warning. It’s a status update. The states are doing the groundwork. The federal government is circling overhead. And the people writing these bills are counting on the rest of us being too exhausted, too overwhelmed, or too distracted to notice.
But we noticed.
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