Overview
- CNN reported on Monday that internal DHS grant guidelines obtained by the outlet would make voluntary election-security steps mandatory and impose penalties for noncompliance.
- The proposed conditions would require states to phase out certain electronic voting systems, move to hand-marked paper ballots, adopt administration-approved manual audit methods, and run full voter rolls through the SAVE citizenship database.
- States that refuse to comply would face a 20 percent cut to DHS grant awards, a loss that could mean millions for jurisdictions given the program totals more than $1 billion this fiscal year.
- Experts and critics note SAVE can produce false-positive matches and the Justice Department has already sued 30 states over resistance to SAVE-based audits, raising concerns about wrongful voter flags.
- Legal and constitutional fights are expected because state law governs elections and courts have blocked similar funding-withdrawal tactics before, and the guidelines are not final until officially published.