The US Department of Homeland Security is introducing new conditions for states to strengthen election processes. States that fail to meet these requirements will be deprived of billions of dollars in federal preparedness grants. The more than $1 billion in funds to be distributed through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be allocated only to states that comply with the new rules.
The new regulations require states to submit a plan for transitioning from electronic voting systems to paper ballots. After each federal election, at least 5 percent of the votes cast must be audited by hand counting and the results compared with machine tallies. Additionally, states will have to verify the citizenship status of all registered voters by checking voter rolls using the SAVE database. Although the SAVE system has been criticized by some Democratic governors for lack of maintenance, DHS has denied these claims.
A DHS spokesperson said in a statement, "Under President Trump's leadership, we are taking decisive steps to protect election systems from foreign interference, domestic threats, and cyberattacks." The spokesperson stated that these measures would ensure election integrity and increase Americans' confidence in the results.
As the Trump administration continues its push on election security, a significant obstacle has emerged from a federal court. Judge Cathy Bissoon, appointed during the Obama era, ruled that the Justice Department does not have the authority to demand voter registration records containing Social Security numbers from more than 25 states. Pennsylvania had refused to provide this sensitive data, offering only a limited voter list. State officials expressed that they found the federal government's efforts to expand its role in the election process alarming.
