Judge Voids FEMA Rule Withholding 20% of Counterterrorism Funds Over Election Changes
Updated
Updated · CNBC · Sep 28
Judge Voids FEMA Rule Withholding 20% of Counterterrorism Funds Over Election Changes
3 articles · Updated · CNBC · Sep 28
Summary
U.S. District Judge Amir Ali vacated FEMA’s June rule that threatened to withhold 20% of state counterterrorism grants unless states and some cities changed election procedures.
Ali said FEMA exceeded its authority because the grant conditions targeted routine election administration and the agency failed to show how they would prevent terrorist attacks.
The rule demanded hand-marked paper ballots instead of barcode or QR-based systems, manual audits of 5% of ballots, voter-roll citizenship checks, and citizenship verification for poll workers and vendors.
Counties in Texas and Tennessee and Columbus, Ohio, sued in August, arguing the policy put tens of millions of dollars in public-safety funding at risk and intruded on state control of elections.
The ruling is the latest court setback for Trump administration efforts to use federal power to press election-policy changes, while the Justice Department declined comment.