The Trump administration is trying to use federal funding to influence how elections are run at the state level. The Department of Homeland Security is considering using grant funding to push states to hand count ballots and use a database to flag potential noncitizen voters.
The administration's efforts come after a series of courtroom losses and the failure of an election-security bill in Congress. President Trump has long claimed that there is rampant fraud in American elections and has pushed for states to investigate past elections and create barriers to mail-in voting.
The move is part of a broader push to exert more federal control over the ballot box, with the president warning Republicans that losing control of the House could lead to his impeachment. The Democratic Party sees an opportunity to flip the House in its favor this November.
