Trump admin threatens to withhold funds to states that resist election security reforms: report

The Trump administration plans to withhold millions of dollars in federal funding from the Department of Homeland Security to states that resist rules aimed at beefing up election security. The plan is part of an effort on the part of the administration to clamp down on voter fraud and expand federal oversight of elections, CNN reported, citing unnamed sources. Under the new rules, states are required to phase out certain electronic voting systems and utilize paper ballots. They must also run their voter roles through a citizenship verification database managed by DHS. 
States that refuse would lose out on funding from DHS that supports terrorism prevention, protects infrastructure and helps prepare for major disasters.
In previous years, the rules required states to spend 3% on election security, but under the new rules that are expected to be released later this month, states would lose out on 20% of the grant money for failing to comply with mandatory reforms. 
A spokesperson for the DHS said in a statement to CNN that no changes or funding distributions are final until published officially. The administration, the spokesperson said, considers election security to be a core priority for the nation. 
“Any recipient of federal funding should expect accountability for how taxpayer dollars are spent,” the spokesperson said.

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