Top 10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Voter Suppression Tricks
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Top 10 Ways to Protect Yourself From Voter Suppression Tricks
Category: Election Protection
The RadioDSG Election Protection News, September 13
FEATURE
The RadioDSG Election Protection News, September 8
A look at the top stories over the past few weeks and months
9/9
US Justice Dept considers handing over voter roll data for criminal probes, documents show
The U.S. Justice Department is in talks with Homeland Security Investigations about transferring the sensitive voter roll data it has collected from states for use in criminal and immigration-related investigations, according to government documents seen by Reuters.
9/8
Judge OKs settlement in North Carolina voter registration lawsuit by Justice Department
Federal and North Carolina laws have directed that since 2004 election officials request registrants provide a voter’s driver’s license number or the last four digits of their Social Security number. For about a decade, however, the state’s registration form failed to make clear voters were supposed to provide a number if they had one, resulting in records that indicate numerical IDs have never been provided.
8/25
Judge Orders New Congressional Map in Utah
A Utah judge ruled on Monday that the state must redraw its congressional map ahead of the 2026 U.S. midterm elections, saying Utah’s Republican-controlled legislature had overstepped in overruling an earlier ballot measure passed by voters against drawing districts to favor any party.
“Plaintiffs have proven, as a matter of law, that the Legislature unconstitutionally repealed Proposition 4, and enacted SB 200, in violation of the people’s fundamental right to reform redistricting in Utah and to prohibit partisan gerrymandering,” Third District Court Judge Dianna Gibson said in the ruling
7/29
John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act Reintroduced
Senate Democrats reintroduced a bill Tuesday to restore and expand protections enshrined in the Voting Rights Act of 1965, their latest long-shot attempt to revive the landmark law just days before its 60th anniversary and at a time of renewed debate over the future administration of American elections.
Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia unveiled the measure, titled the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, with the backing of Democratic leaders. The bill stands little chance of passage in the Republican-led Congress, but it provides the clearest articulation of Democrats’ agenda on voting rights and election reform.
7/24
Supreme Court blocks North Dakota redistricting ruling that would gut key part of Voting Rights Act
The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a lower-court ruling in a redistricting dispute in North Dakota that would gut a landmark federal civil rights law for millions of people.
The justices indicated in an unsigned order that they are likely to take up a federal appeals court ruling that would eliminate the most common path people and civil rights groups use to sue under a key provision of the 60-year-old Voting Rights Act.
7/17
Florida congressional districts that eliminated a majority-Black seat upheld by state Supreme Court
Florida’s Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state’s current congressional redistricting map, rejecting a challenge over the elimination of a majority-Black district in north Florida that was pushed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The court, dominated by DeSantis appointees, ruled that restoration of the district that previously united Black communities from Jacksonville to west of Tallahassee, or across 200 miles (322 kilometers), would amount to impermissible racial gerrymandering. That, the majority ruled, violates the Constitution’s equal protection guarantees.
6/27
Supreme Court Reopens Louisiana Racial Gerrymandering Case
The Supreme Court on Friday put off deciding whether to uphold a Louisiana map that added a second majority-Black congressional district in the state, saying it would rehear the case in its next term.
States must thread a needle when drawing electoral districts. The landmark Voting Rights Act requires states in some circumstances to consider race as a means to redress discriminatory electoral practices. But maps that are explicitly based on race violate the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, which requires all people to be treated equally.
7/28
Wave of Election Law & Voting Restrictions Pushed in State Legislatures
In 2025, we’ve seen a significant shift in the makeup of election laws enacted by state legislatures. Since our team began systematically tracking legislation in all 50 states in 2021, each year we saw more than twice as many new laws expanding access to the ballot as new laws restricting it. That trend ended this year, with only one in three new laws improving voter access and election administration in 2025, the lowest percentage we’ve ever recorded.
The team behind our Election Policy Tracker identified several significant trends in restrictive legislation this year, including requiring voters to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote, eliminating grace periods for mail ballots submitted on or before Election Day, and removing forms of voter ID that many rely on. While legislation related to mail voting is generally down compared to recent years, we’ve seen heightened attacks on military and overseas voters. In addition, one state enacted the most significant rollback to mail voting since our legislative tracking began in 2021.
3/21
The federal Voting Rights Act was gutted. States now want their own versions.
Democratic lawmakers in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland and New Jersey are pushing such legislation this session, attempting to join seven other states with similar laws enacted in recent years.
But carrying these bills to law will be a tall task for lawmakers, even in blue states. Michigan’s Voting Rights Act legislation died in the state House after passing the Senate last year. And active bills in Democratic-led states are not guaranteed passage this year because of legal concerns.
Contemporary Vote-Hacking Threats and Trump’s Cybersecurity Budget Cuts
FEATURE
Contemporary Vote-Hacking Threats and Trump’s Cybersecurity Budget Cuts
As the 2024 and 2025 election cycles unfolded, the United States has contended with a growing array of digital threats aimed at undermining electoral integrity. At the same time, the federal government—under the Trump administration—has made significant reductions to cybersecurity and election protection budgets, raising concerns among state and local officials.
Emerging Vote-Hacking Tactics
Cyberexperts have documented several modern strategies that can threaten election infrastructure.
At the grassroots level, security researchers at events such as DEF CON’s Voting Machine Hacking Village demonstrated new vulnerabilities in multiple ballot-marking and direct-recording electronic (DRE) systems already deployed in the field. Experts noted that fixes are often impractical before upcoming elections.
Beyond hardware, foreign adversaries such as Russia, China, and Iran have intensified digital interference efforts. These groups have deployed AI-generated media—including synthetic videos and social posts—to sow discord or undermine confidence in U.S. democratic institutions.
Disinformation remains an important vector. A University of Michigan study and other reports find that leaks of voter data, rumors of vote manipulation, and public fear can all weaken trust—even when systems themselves remain secure.
Budget Cuts and Reduced Federal Support
As cyber threats escalate, federal funding and support systems have been scaled back.
In early 2025, the Department of Homeland Security ended approximately $10 million in annual funding for the Center for Internet Security’s election-specific cybersecurity initiatives, including the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center (EI-ISAC) and the Multi-State ISAC (MS-ISAC). The termination of these programs disrupted threat intelligence sharing and coordination among state and local officials.
In March, the administration froze CISA’s election security work as part of an internal review, and placed more than a dozen staff on administrative leave. In addition, CISA’s overall budget faced deep cuts—initial proposals sought nearly $500 million reduction and potentially eliminated up to a third of the agency’s workforce.
The defunding extended to MS-ISAC, which supports 19,000 local governments with cyber threat resources. CISA’s halving of that funding threatens to force the center toward a paid membership model, limiting access for many jurisdictions.
Functional consequences are significant: a Brennan Center survey found that 61% of local election officials expressed concern about CISA’s reduced cybersecurity services; 87% said they expect state and local bodies to fill the gaps.
Budget Shifts: Offensive Over Defense
While defensive cybersecurity efforts were reduced, the administration proposed increased spending on offensive cyber capabilities.
Through the “One Big Beautiful Bill,” the U.S. earmarked $1 billion over four years for offensive cyber operations—most notably to support Indo-Pacific Command activities. This move came even as civilian cybersecurity funding was slated to drop by $1.23 billion in 2026 compared to 2024, and CISA’s workforce shrank by a third.
Foreign Interference and Intelligence Reductions
Reducing intelligence oversight has compounded concerns. The administration downsized the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) by more than $700 million and dismantled the Foreign Malign Influence Center, which had focused on detecting foreign interference in elections.
Consequences for Election Security
The combination of emerging hacking threats and diminished federal support has placed greater burden on state and local election officials.
Security incidents—from hardware vulnerabilities to AI-assisted misinformation campaigns—continue to evolve. But with diminished support from CISA, EI-ISAC, and ODNI, officials lack timely threat intelligence and coordination essential to defending electoral systems.
As one local official warned, “We will find a way to protect our elections,” but voiced alarm over the loss of real-time intelligence that had previously helped intercept cyber intrusions.
Looking Ahead
Protecting U.S. elections requires sustained investment—not only in technology, but also in federal coordination and resilience planning at the local level. Without such support, modern threats—from hardware sabotage to viral AI misinformation—may proliferate unchecked.
Rebalancing federal cybersecurity priorities toward defense and coordination may help restore shared safeguards and public confidence in the electoral system. Whether that shift occurs—including through renewed funding, legislation, or partnerships—remains to be seen.
Bibliography
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_efforts_to_disrupt_the_2024_United_States_presidential_election
- https://www.iss.europa.eu/publications/briefs/future-democracy-lessons-us-fight-against-foreign-electoral-interference-2024
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_interference_in_the_2024_United_States_elections
- https://www.upguard.com/blog/2024-u-s-election-integrity-threats-not-just-data-leaks-and-hacks
- https://democrats-cha.house.gov/sites/evo-subsites/democrats-cha.house.gov/files/Election_Security_Update_v5.pdf
- https://apnews.com/article/6c437543f5d26d890704e5f2a8400502
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party_efforts_to_disrupt_voting_after_the_2024_United_States_presidential_election
- https://ohiocapitaljournal.com/2025/07/22/local-election-officials-worry-about-federal-cuts-to-security-survey-shows
- https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/trump-administration-proposes-more-drastic-election-security-cuts
- https://cyberscoop.com/trump-administration-proposed-cisa-budget-cuts
- https://www.hivesystems.com/blog/the-federal-cybersecurity-cuts-in-the-bbb-are-real-and-theyre-already-hitting-home
- https://www.nextgov.com/cybersecurity/2025/06/cisa-projected-lose-third-its-workforce-under-trumps-2026-budget/405726
- https://www.axios.com/newsletters/axios-future-of-cybersecurity-f003f5d0-7e20-11f0-91cb-ef3bf9fdf7e4
- https://statescoop.com/local-election-offices-cisa-brennan-center
- https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/cyber-security/u-s-earmarks-usd1b-for-offensive-cyber-operations-despite-broader-efforts-to-slash-cybersecurity-spending
- https://www.techradar.com/pro/security/trumps-one-big-beautiful-bill-act-gives-usd1-billion-in-funding-to-offensive-cyber-operations
- https://apnews.com/article/e982e5364481d41a058e2bd78be4060f
Election Protection in the Age of Trump
FEATURE
Election Protection in the Age of Trump
As the United States approaches the 2026 midterm elections, the integrity of America’s voting system faces renewed challenges under the Trump administration. A mix of federal overreach, regulatory changes, political discord and technological threats has made election protection more critical than ever.
Federal Intrusion Meets Constitutional Limits
In recent months, President Trump’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has repeatedly requested access to Dominion voting equipment used in the 2020 election in Missouri—only to be refused by local officials citing legal constraints and security concerns. This represents a significant departure from the traditional deference to state-run elections and has prompted bipartisan alarm over potential federal overreach.
Simultaneously, Trump has signaled intent to issue sweeping executive orders requiring voter ID for all elections and severely restricting mail-in voting—permitting it only for the “seriously ill” and military personnel. Constitutional scholars warn such directives may exceed presidential authority and infringe on states’ rights.
Appointments and Agencies Under Strain
The appointment of Heather Honey—a researcher known for promoting discredited voter fraud theory—as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Election Integrity at DHS has heightened concerns about politicizing the security apparatus. Meanwhile, longstanding cybersecurity and election protection capabilities have eroded as executive actions undercut the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), eliminating critical information-sharing programs and undermining federal coordination.
Mail-in Ballots, Hand Counting and Misinformation
Trump has repeatedly criticized mail-in voting, aligning himself with foreign leaders such as Vladimir Putin in questioning its legitimacy Politico. Experts warn that promoting hand-counting or online voting could make the system more vulnerable to foreign interference or fraud. Evidence suggests mail-in systems and modern voting machines remain more reliable and accurate than these alternatives.
Voter Suppression Risks
A March 2025 executive order and pending legislation like the SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote—making the process more burdensome for tens of millions of Americans lacking immediate access to such documents. Advocacy groups warn these moves could systematically disenfranchise marginalized communities.
On-the-Ground Threats
Threats to election infrastructure have escalated. In 2024, officials recorded over 200 bomb threats targeting polling stations and tabulation centers across the U.S.—prompting law enforcement sweeps and emergency response measures Wikipedia. In response, some jurisdictions extended voting hours, although research shows such remedies may not fully offset suppressed turnout—for instance, in Georgia’s DeKalb County, precincts impacted by threats experienced lower turnout than in 2020.
Foreign Interference and Digital Misinformation
Generative AI has emerged as a potent tool in foreign misinformation campaigns, enabling deepfakes, fake videos, synthetic identities and targeted botnets—all designed to destabilize trust in democratic processes. While the greatest immediate risks may stem from domestic distrust and extremist narratives, technological tools exacerbate vulnerabilities.
Restoring Trust Through Innovation
Amid growing skepticism, researchers have begun exploring technological fixes. For example, blockchain-based voting systems that combine biometric verification and immutable ledger systems offer a secure, transparent model for future elections arXiv. AI-assisted “pre-bunking”—preemptively countering false election narratives—has also shown promise in reducing voter misinformation across partisan lines.
State Leadership and Counterbalance
At the state level, figures like Gabriel Sterling of Georgia—who publicly challenged Trump’s false claims in 2020—are now running for Secretary of State on platforms upholding secure elections. Such leadership provides a critical counterweight to federal pressure and helps maintain state autonomy over election administration.
Navigating the Path Ahead
Protecting election integrity in this era requires vigilance on several fronts:
- Legal and institutional resistance: State officials must assert constitutional boundaries when federal agencies attempt to overstep.
- Cyber resilience: Rebuilding federal cybersecurity frameworks like CISA’s EI-ISAC is essential.
- Technological innovation: Blockchain voting and AI prebunking present opportunities for modernization.
- Civic leadership: Trusted local officials and transparency initiatives must lead restorations of voter trust.
- Public awareness: Educating voters on threats and safeguards—from misinformation to structural changes—is imperative to resilience.
In the face of federal pressure and public mistrust, protecting democracy still finds support in local leadership, technological innovation and informed civic engagement.