Trump team wants to withhold millions in Homeland Security funds from states who do not back election reform

[Celerity]

The federal funds are traditionally used by states to support counterterrorism and disaster preparedness efforts

https://www.the-independent.com/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-homeland-funding-election-reform-b3000760.html



With the midterm elections approaching, the Trump administration is signaling it may withhold millions of dollars in homeland security funding from states that don’t make certain election-related changes, according to a new report. Under revised guidelines for homeland security grants, states would be required to implement a series of measures, including eliminating some electronic voting systems and cross-checking voter rolls against a federal database, CNN reported, citing internal records it obtained.

If the reforms are not implemented, states risk forfeiting 20 percent of certain Department of Homeland Security grants, which are expected to exceed $1 billion this year. The grants are typically used to support counterterrorism efforts and disaster preparedness at the state and local level. The new rules are part and parcel of President Donald Trump’s long-running crusade against voter fraud. He’s repeatedly accused Democratic-run states of “cheating” at the ballot box and even floated a federal “take over” of elections.



Studies indicate election fraud in the U.S. is extremely rare. For instance, when looking at a 25-year span of elections in Arizona, the Heritage Foundation uncovered just 36 cases of fraud out of 42.6 million votes cast, according to the Brookings Institution. Democrats have condemned the president’s tactics as fear-mongering designed to benefit the GOP. Under the new guidelines obtained by CNN, states would need to carry out manual election audits using Trump administration-established methods.



Additionally, states would need to file a plan to eliminate voting systems that do not use paper ballots capable of being filled out by hand. Further, in order to qualify for full grant funding, states would need to cross-check their voter rolls with the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements, a DHS tool used to help find potential non-voters.

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