States must overhaul how they conduct their elections, or risk losing tens of millions of dollars in federal terrorism-prevention funding, according to new Trump administration requirements.
The effort would force states to transition to paper ballots, verify voters' citizenship and make other changes to election procedures, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency documents, The New York Times reported Tuesday.
FEMA, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, has told states it will withhold 20% of some terrorism-preparedness grants unless they provide "proof of compliance" with the new election security measures, the documents show.
The grants, which total $1 billion annually, help pay for physical security barriers, planning and drill exercises, and cybersecurity protections.
Courts have already blocked similar administration efforts to mandate changes to voting procedures, ruling that the Constitution grants authority over elections to the states, not the executive branch.
Since returning to office last year, President Donald Trump has pushed new election policies through Cabinet agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security, and signed two executive orders seeking sweeping changes to election administration. Courts have largely blocked both orders.
Homeland Security officials said in an unsigned statement that election security and integrity are top administration priorities and that grant recipients should be held accountable, the Times reported.
David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research in Washington, said he expects the rules to be struck down if challenged in court and argued they would not make elections more secure.
"They will actually harm election security," Becker said. "These are radical changes to election processes."
FEMA announced the annual grants on June 24, stating that funded projects should align with priorities including "protecting the integrity of American elections" and "supporting border security efforts."
A notice warned recipients that 20% of any award could be withheld until Homeland Security verifies compliance with the new rules. The rules do not apply to federal disaster aid, which FEMA also administers.
The grants go largely to populous states with major urban areas, including New York, California, and Texas.
New York is set to receive about $204 million in fiscal year 2026, according to the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.
"After denying disaster relief funding and stripping millions from counterterrorism programs, the Trump administration is once again putting New Yorkers' lives at risk to forward their political agenda," Hochul, a Democrat, said in a statement.
"Unlike the President, my number one priority is New Yorkers' safety, and I will fight to ensure our state has every resource available to keep us secure," she added.
Last month, a judge blocked a separate administration effort to force states to use a centralized national database built for checking immigration status, known as the SAVE system, to verify voters on state rolls, ruling that the move violated at least three laws.
Two provisions in the FEMA grant requirements would mandate the same process, according to internal FEMA documents.
The documents also show states would be required to submit plans and timelines to transition away from systems that use bar codes or QR codes and rely solely on hand-marked paper ballots.
Another provision requires grant recipients to prove they are conducting manual post-election audits of 5% of ballots to ensure electronic systems are accurately counting votes.
Manual audits of 5% of ballots would likely delay vote counting, cost millions of dollars and, in some cases, fall short of what would be considered an adequate audit for races with narrow margins, Becker said. He noted that close races are common in some congressional districts and local elections.
Every state currently has a post-election audit process to check for accuracy, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.