DHS may withhold $1 billion in grants unless voting changes

The Trump administration is threatening to withhold tens of millions of dollars in federal homeland security grants from states unless they implement a sweeping set of changes to their election systems, according to internal documents and sources. The new requirements, expected to be formally issued later this month, mandate that states phase out certain electronic voting systems, conduct manual audits using administration-approved methods, and run their voter rolls through a federal citizenship verification database.

States that refuse to comply would forfeit 20 percent of their grant funding from the Department of Homeland Security. These grants, which total more than $1 billion in the current fiscal year, are a primary federal tool for helping state and local governments prevent terrorism, protect critical infrastructure, and prepare for natural disasters. For years, the grants have required states to spend at least 3 percent of the funds on election security broadly, but the new rules impose specific, mandatory reforms with significant financial penalties.

The administration's demands include transitioning away from electronic voting systems that use barcodes or QR codes and...