Trump Has Tried to Exert More Control Over Elections. Here Are the Key Findings From Our Reporting.

Trump administration officials have systematically dismantled federal safeguards designed to prevent election interference, ProPublica's reporting shows.

The Justice Department has sued 30 states and the District of Columbia since September 2025 demanding unredacted voter rolls containing confidential information on millions of Americans. State officials, including some Republicans, have challenged these lawsuits. Every DOJ lawsuit decided by a federal judge has been dismissed so far, though the Trump administration has appealed most losses to federal appeals courts and said it will consider taking cases to the Supreme Court.

In March, Trump issued an executive order instructing the U.S. Postal Service to create new regulations for mail voting that would give the agency unprecedented authority to decide whether to send or deny delivery of mail-in ballots. The Supreme Court blocked these rules in September, at least until after November.

The administration also tasked the Department of Homeland Security with backing Trump's claim that illegal voting by noncitizens is tilting elections toward Democrats. As of May, Justice Department data showed 41 alleged noncitizens were charged with voting illegally or other election-related crimes. CBS reported 156 people have been charged since the beginning of Trump's second term.

At least 75 nonpartisan career officials in roles related to election integrity and safety have been fired or left government. Two dozen Trump appointees, many from the election-denial movement, have been hired. At least 25 administration appointees have close ties to Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who leads Election Integrity Network, a conservative group focused on transforming America's voting system. Mitchell helped shape the administration's elections agenda despite holding no formal White House role.

Political appointees at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency asked it to procure a voting machine, hack it, and report findings to the White House, two former administration officials told ProPublica. CISA employees said the request was impossible in part because agents capable of conducting such an operation had been laid off. State election officials have expressed concern that CISA has been compromised and provided little help planning for the 2026 midterms.