The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) plans to withhold billions of dollars in preparedness grant funding from states that do not implement new election security measures, including voter citizenship verification, post-election audits, and the expanded use of paper ballots. These requirements are part of the Homeland Security Grant Program, administered by FEMA, which makes over $1 billion in funding available to participating states.
To qualify for these grants, states must submit plans to transition away from electronic voting systems that use QR codes or barcodes, opting instead for systems that use hand-marked paper ballots. The agency asserts that paper ballots provide a verifiable trail to quickly assess any alleged irregularities. Following federal elections, states seeking preparedness grants will be required to conduct a manual audit of at least 5% of all cast ballots. This random review aims to confirm that vote tabulations align with paper ballots and to identify any potential manipulation.
Furthermore, states must match the number of voters who participated in an election with the total number of ballots cast. Within 120 days of receiving a grant award, states are also required to use the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database to verify the citizenship of every registered voter. DHS maintains that the SAVE system is adequately maintained, despite some criticism from Democratic governors.
DHS stated that evolving threats to election systems, including foreign interference, insider threats, and cyberattacks, necessitate these decisive actions to protect election integrity. A DHS spokesperson indicated that elections are considered critical infrastructure and are susceptible to foreign attacks. The department aims to ensure that Americans can trust election results through these new security requirements.
This initiative follows a setback for the Trump administration in its efforts to compel states to share voter data. An Obama-appointed federal judge in Pennsylvania ruled that the federal government lacks the authority to demand sensitive state voter information, siding with Pennsylvania after the Justice Department sued more than 25 states seeking voter records that included Social Security numbers. The judge found the demand for such broad data to be a concerning attempt to expand federal involvement in the election process.