From Salon · Jen Fifield · · 2m
Voting chaos: 5 election disruptions
Trump administration threatens voting integrity on Election Day.
In brief
Trump administration threatens voting integrity on Election Day. Trump administration's federal interference risks voter rolls, mail-in ballots, and election integrity as midterms approach. Originally reported by Salon.
Trump admin's election control push
Voting experts warn of potential problems as Trump administration tries to force states to share unredacted voter rolls and restrict mail-in voting.
“The president has justified these steps by claiming, without evidence, that american elections are beset by fraud and that illegal voting is tipping the scales in favor of democrats”
DHS targeting noncitizen voters
Department of Homeland Security has used resources to identify and prosecute noncitizen voters alongside massive immigration crackdown.
“Dhs is not planning operations targeting polling locations”
Federal interference fears
Florida supervisor of elections reported federal vehicles parked at early voting site after being reassured agents wouldn't do this.
“Given the negative media coverage regarding federal agents at the polls, it shows pretty bad judgment that they showed up in their official vehicles”
Noncitizen voter challenges
Federal officials claim 20,000 california voters are likely noncitizens but court analysis shows many are u.s. citizens or never voted.
“California called the claim that there are 20,000 noncitizens on its voter rolls "specious"”
Voter roll accuracy issues
Texas requires proof of identification for mail-in ballots and has cut polling sites in democratic areas.
“Ballot rejections have skyrocketed, democracy docket reported, because voters aren't sealing the inner envelope”
Cyber and physical threats
States received envelopes with unknown white powder and false bomb threats caused evacuations of vote-counting sites.
“The fear it caused was real”
Postelection challenges
DOJ sued alaska to block certification of senate race if republican incumbent doesn't win.
“The doj claims the system is unfairly rigged against sen. dan sullivan because another alaska man named dan sullivan also qualified for the general election ballot”
Voting rights groups' concerns
Voting rights advocates fear federal interference could scare eligible voters from showing up at polls.
“A voter could say, 'Well, maybe i don't want to put myself on the target list here, maybe i won't register, or maybe i won't vote'”
State responses to federal pressure
Washington attorney general leads group planning responses to federal interference with voting equipment.
“We've seen the tension and chaos that's in the air”
Election integrity risks
Federal officials warn of potential voter fraud but courts have rejected most efforts to block voting.
“The administration has been creating a lot of noise, a lot of confusion, a lot of doubt”
Voting equipment issues
Touch-screen voting machines have had isolated complaints but experts say no tampering occurred.
“Any attempt to tamper with programming would surface during testing by election officials and be corrected”
Noncitizen voter list accuracy
Washington state says federal list of 400 voters includes u.s. citizens and duplicate entries.
“Time and time again, dhs claims about noncitizen voter registration turn out to be greatly exaggerated or false”
Election security concerns
States acting alone have weaker cyber defenses after trump dismantled cisa.
“States acting on their own just do not have the same power”
Postelection legal threats
DOJ may challenge election results if they don't favor trump administration.
“The doj does not seek to stop any ballot from being cast or to stop the certification of alaska's election”
Voting rights advocacy
Voting rights groups track software errors and voter registration backlogs in texas.
“A software error at the texas department of public safety stopped several hundred thousand new voter registrations from being forwarded”
Election day disruptions
Voting experts warn of federal interference, noncitizen voter challenges, and voting equipment issues on election day.
“The administration has been creating a lot of noise, a lot of confusion, a lot of doubt”
What matters most
Trump administration's federal interference risks voter rolls, mail-in ballots, and election integrity as midterms approach.
