Tensions Rise as State Election Officials Receive Unusual Invitation from Trump Administration

State election officials recently received an unexpected invitation from the Trump administration for a conference call organized by the FBI, scheduled for late February, to discuss midterm election preparations. This surprise announcement arrived during a particularly tense period as the Justice Department had filed lawsuits against multiple states seeking unredacted voter rolls. Additionally, the FBI had conducted a raid on an election office in the Atlanta area, and President Donald Trump called for the nationalization of certain elections.

Many state election officials noted that this invitation marked the first communication they had received from the Trump administration concerning election security in several months—if at all. Originally, as many as seven Trump officials, including three Cabinet secretaries, were expected to participate in the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS) conference in Washington, D.C., but only one White House aide attended.

“Given what has happened over the last two weeks, the drama that occurred at NASS, and then to arbitrarily just send out an email with a predetermined date and time with everybody’s emails exposed, saying get on this call,”

said Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, a Democrat, “my response was — [I] wrote back to them immediately, like, is this real?”

During the annual NASS conference held before the FBI’s briefing invitation, nine secretaries of state expressed that their contact with the second Trump administration had been minimal. Last year, significant budget cuts led to the reduction of the federal agency tasked with aiding states in securing their elections.

The first Trump administration had designated elections as critical infrastructure, which resulted in the establishment of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) under the Department of Homeland Security. CISA offered resources and expertise to help states safeguard their elections both physically and digitally. Furthermore, it facilitated information sharing among states until funding for threat monitoring was severely reduced because it was no longer considered a priority by the Department of Homeland Security.

Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, a Democrat running for governor, remarked, The fact that they’ve actually dismantled and defunded the very real, tried and true infrastructure that was in place in 2020 to protect our elections against foreign interference, that speaks for itself about where their focus really is. She indicated her efforts to secure funds to hire former CISA experts to reintegrate federal systems for Michigan’s elections.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes added, It’s harder now than it was, because we had these tools, and we came to rely on these tools. Fontes explained how Arizona had to inform state authorities of an election web portal hack rather than relying on federal support due to the absence of CISA’s resources.

Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold noted the establishment of a state-operated threat-monitoring system, yet acknowledged the constraints posed by lacking federal resources. Griswold stated, We do pick up a lot of it. I can’t tell you what we’re missing. Without federal briefings, the state remains unaware of similar threats affecting other regions.

Previously, intelligence briefings provided by the federal government during the first Trump term were considered invaluable. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon and Connecticut Secretary of State Stephanie Thomas recounted how such briefings enabled them to conduct informed public information campaigns against disinformation.

Thomas confirmed the FBI’s briefing invitation was the first communication received, aside from issues related to voter rolls—a topic recently marred by lawsuits filed by the Justice Department seeking access to unredacted data.

The Trump administration clarified its stance, emphasizing President Trump’s commitment to securing election integrity through measures like updating voter rolls and endorsing legislative proposals for voting standards. White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson underscored Trump’s advocacy for ensuring election security.

Not all states relied on CISA’s resources. Nevada, under Aguilar’s guidance, had already invested in independent systems before Trump’s presidency, while New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlon expressed confidence in their self-reliant election processes.

Republican West Virginia Secretary of State Kris Warner indicated collaboration with both the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and the Trump administration in midterm preparations. Warner’s office also worked with local institutions for vulnerability assessments, traditionally provided by CISA.

The NASS conference in Washington saw Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows challenging a White House aide on the implications of Trump’s executive order on elections. The session, which was expected to feature senior government figures, was canceled without explanation, leaving attendees without answers.