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Exclusive: Trump administration uses homeland security funds to force states into election changes
The Trump administration is threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security funds from states unless they adopt a sweeping set of election changes, according to multiple sources and internal documents obtained by CNN.
The move is part of President Donald Trumpâs campaign to root out alleged voter fraud â despite studies showing itâs far rarer than he claims â and exert more federal influence over how elections are run. It comes as multiple states have passed laws that seek to prevent the federal government from interfering with elections.
Under new rules governing several homeland security grant programs, states must take a number of steps, including phasing out certain electronic voting systems and moving to hand-marked paper ballots. They must also run their voter rolls through a controversial Department of Homeland Security citizenship verification database.
DHS and elections
Why it matters: Numerous local election officials, across the political spectrum, have told NPR they are avoiding sharing voter data or other security information with the federal government for fear that information could be used against them in some way.
The backstory: The Trump administration has taken unprecedented steps to investigate local election administration, including taking states to court in an effort to get their private voter registration data and attempting (and in some cases succeeding) to access voting machines and ballots.
That myth has been debunked numerous times, including as part of Fox News' 2023 $787 million settlement with voting machine company Dominion, but Berntsen, a former CIA operative, has been pushing it for years.
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Election Officials Warn That DHS Has Become A Threat To Voting Security
The Department of Homeland Security, long considered a key federal partner in protecting American elections, is now being viewed with suspicion by the very officials it was meant to support.
State and local election administrators have raised alarm over the direction of the agency, citing concerns that its leadership poses a risk to electoral integrity rather than safeguarding it.
The new homeland security secretary has a documented history of pushing election misinformation, a fact that has shaken confidence among voting officials across the country.
For years, DHS played a central role in helping election offices defend against cyberattacks, foreign interference, and other threats to democratic infrastructure.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning Exclusive: Trump administration.
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