Exclusive: DHS plans to launch voter fraud investigation surge

Key Points:

• The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is launching a coordinated voter fraud investigation surge starting Tuesday, focusing on nine states including Washington, Georgia, and Pennsylvania, as part of an intensified effort under Secretary Markwayne Mullin aligned with former President Trump's claims of widespread election fraud.
• Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), an ICE agency traditionally focused on major crimes, is leading the investigations, with agents pursuing leads related to noncitizen voting and voter registration irregularities, despite experts stating there is no evidence of widespread voter fraud in recent elections.
• The timing of these overt investigative actions during the midterm election period contrasts with longstanding Justice Department policies designed to avoid influencing elections, although DHS is not bound by these DOJ policies and has not addressed timing concerns in its guidance.
• Although the administration has increased resources toward investigating voter fraud, prosecutions have been limited and mostly involve cases of noncitizens voting or unlawful registration, with recent arrests highlighted as part of the crackdown despite questions about the accuracy of DHS's noncitizen voter roll data.
• DHS's audit claims of large numbers of noncitizens on voter rolls have been challenged internally, with significantly fewer confirmed cases than initially publicized, raising concerns about the reliability of the data used to justify the intensified investigations.