The Trump administration is systematically abolishing election security networks, according to a CNN investigation. DOGE has removed 130 people at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and has plans to remove civil service protections from 80% of its roughly 3500 remaining employees. This makes it easier for these employees to be fired. Attorney General Pam Bondi has eliminated task forces that investigate election interference and threats against election workers and polling places. Homeland Security eliminated information sharing programs that helped state and local officials prevent election threats like coordinated hacking attacks.
These efforts are in line with Trump’s false claims that past elections have been rife with voter fraud. According CNN, “the administration’s actions have deeply alarmed state officials, who warn the next round of national elections will be seriously imperiled by the cuts. A bipartisan association representing 46 secretaries of state, and several individual top state election officials, have pressed the White House about how critical functions protecting election security will perform going forward. They have not received clear answers, according to documents shared with CNN.” “Officials involved in administering elections say the moves already are making it harder, and less safe and secure, to vote in America.”
The thing that’s so crazy about eliminating these people and programs is that they are the specific systems that one would employ to reduce election irregularities, if they actually existed. Senator Alex Padilla, former secretary of state of California put it this way “It’s absolutely hypocritical for a president who has lied ad nauseam about rampant voter fraud to be undoing the very tools we rely on to protect the integrity and security of our elections.”
So, why would Trump do this? The logical answer is so that there will be potentially more incidents for him to point to when making claims of voter fraud in future elections. But there’s a more serious development to this story.
In February 2026, the House passed the SAVE Act. This legislation would require proof of citizenship (a paper birth certificate – not a copy – or a passport) in order to register to vote. More than 21 million Americans lack ready access to these documents and roughly half of Americans don’t even have a passport, according to the Brennan Center. This bill would effectively disenfranchise voters of all ages and races, but especially younger voters and voters of color. In addition, hispanic voters may be hesitant to vote after the threats from ICE in cities around the country. And, millions of women whose names are different than that on their birth certificate would also be affected. The logical impact of this bill would be the reduction in voter attendance from these three groups – which typically vote for Democrats.