Trump Administration Threatens States with Funding Cuts and Criminal Charges Over Election Practices

The Trump administration is escalating pressure on states ahead of the 2026 midterms by threatening to withhold 20% of FEMA's $1 billion antiterrorism grants and warning election officials of criminal prosecution if noncitizens vote. While Republican officials like Ohio's Frank LaRose defend the measures, Democratic administrators and Utah's Republican Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson reject them as political intimidation. Courts have already blocked over ten similar federal attempts to seize voter data.

Federal funding conditions

• ▪The Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant requirements include verifying the citizenship of all registered voters and election workers, switching from electronic voting systems using barcodes or QR codes to hand-marked paper ballots, and auditing results.
• ▪The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced in June 2026 that it would withhold 20% of its $1 billion antiterrorism grants from states and urban areas that do not comply with new election-related requirements.

DOJ prosecution warnings

• ▪The United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division sent letters on July 7, 2026, to election officials in all 50 states and the District of Columbia warning that administrators could face criminal charges if they knowingly allow noncitizens to vote or remain on voter rolls.
• ▪The Department of Justice letters, signed by Civil Rights Division head Harmeet K. Dhillon, requested that states respond within five days to detail how they will comply with federal voter eligibility laws.

State partisan responses

• ▪Utah Republican Lieutenant Governor Deidre Henderson criticized the Department of Justice letter on social media, stating she was being targeted for resisting federal demands for private voter data.
• ▪Ohio Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose defended the Department of Justice letters, stating they remind states of their legal obligations regarding election integrity.
• ▪Oregon Secretary of State Tobias Read and Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes, both Democrats, criticized the Department of Justice letters as political threats and intimidation based on unproven claims of voter fraud.

Court rejections

• ▪The United States Supreme Court ruled that states are permitted to count mailed ballots that arrive after Election Day, rejecting a challenge from the Trump administration.
• ▪Courts have rejected the Department of Justice's efforts to obtain detailed voter information and election worker contact details in more than 10 cases across 30 states and the District of Columbia, including Georgia, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania.

Voter fraud claims

• ▪The Trump administration has repeatedly claimed without evidence that large numbers of noncitizens are voting and swaying United States elections, though states regularly maintain voter rolls to remove ineligible voters.
• ▪UCLA law professor Rick Hasen stated that the Trump administration's actions appear aimed at changing election rules close to the 2026 midterm elections and undermining voter confidence in election integrity.

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