Administration Tying Anti-Terrorism Grants to Election Overhauls

Administration Conditions Some Homeland Security Grants on Election Procedure Changes

States seeking full access to certain federal terrorism-preparedness grants must demonstrate compliance with specific election administration requirements, according to Federal Emergency Management Agency documents reviewed by The New York Times.

The requirements include transitioning to hand-marked paper ballots without bar codes or QR codes, verifying voter citizenship status, and conducting manual audits of 5 percent of ballots after elections. FEMA has indicated that 20 percent of grant awards may be withheld pending proof of compliance.

The grants, totaling approximately $1 billion per year, support physical security measures, planning, exercises, and cybersecurity for state and local governments. They are administered separately from federal disaster assistance programs.

FEMA announced the fiscal year 2026 grant allocations on June 24. An accompanying notice listed alignment with priorities that include protecting election integrity and supporting border security efforts. The conditions apply to grants distributed through the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is a component.

Homeland Security officials stated that election security remains a priority and that recipients should demonstrate accountability for the use of funds. The requirements do not alter federal disaster aid distribution.

Several states, including New York, California, and Texas, receive substantial portions of these grants. New York is scheduled to receive about $204 million in fiscal year 2026, according to the office of Gov. Kathy Hochul.

Hochul, a Democrat, said the conditions place state residents at risk by linking security funding to unrelated policy changes. She stated her administration would seek to secure the full amount of available resources.

Federal courts have previously blocked administration attempts to require states to adopt centralized voter eligibility checks or other procedural changes, citing constitutional limits on executive authority over elections. In one recent case, a judge halted efforts to mandate use of the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system for voter roll maintenance, finding the directive inconsistent with at least three statutes.

Two provisions in the FEMA grant conditions reference similar verification processes. Additional provisions require states to submit timelines for moving to paper-ballot systems and to document manual audits covering 5 percent of ballots.

The National Conference of State Legislatures reports that every state already maintains some form of post-election audit process. Multiple states currently conduct elections using paper ballots, though practices vary regarding the presence of machine-readable codes and the scope of manual reviews.

David Becker, executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, said the conditions would likely face legal challenges and could increase costs and processing times. The Center for Election Innovation and Research has received funding from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and has advocated for expanded mail and early voting options.

The administration has pursued election-related directives through multiple agencies since January 2025, including executive orders that courts have largely stayed. The current grant conditions represent an additional mechanism tied to existing preparedness funding streams.