As the country approaches midterm elections, former federal officials have raised concerns that the Trump administration may attempt to disrupt results during the counting period that follows polls closing. The administration’s recent court defeat on mail-in ballot restrictions has prompted experts to worry about alternative strategies that could undermine public confidence in election outcomes.
Caitlin Durkovich, former deputy homeland security adviser for resilience and response, stated that the administration may invoke claims of foreign interference to justify seizing voting equipment or ballots without clear legal authority. The counting process itself creates vulnerabilities, particularly in states where results take days or weeks to finalize, with control of Congress potentially determined by races in jurisdictions with delayed counts.
Election officials are working to educate the public about voting procedures in advance to prevent manufactured controversies around the counting window. Larry Norden, vice-president of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice, noted that historical voting options remain available and early voting can reduce voter concerns about ballot security.
Meanwhile, the Department of Homeland Security continues pursuing various initiatives related to voter rolls and non-citizen registration without evidence of widespread illegality. Former Election Assistance Commission Chair Ben Hovland stated that the federal government’s unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, combined with the administration’s rhetoric, risk undermining public trust. Former national intelligence official Beth Sanner emphasized that no evidence exists of foreign nations directly manipulating vote counts, though election security has improved nationwide since 2020. However, federal funding and technical support for election security at relevant agencies have declined significantly, reducing resources available to state election officials.
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