DHS ramps up voter fraud Investigations as midterms near, 9 states on target list

WASHINGTON, DC: The Department of Homeland Security is reportedly set to ramp up its voter fraud investigation from Tuesday, Sept 1, following President Trump’s repeated warning that Democrats might try to steal the upcoming midterm elections.

Donald Trump has repeatedly and consistently claimed that the 2020 US presidential election was "stolen" from him through a "rigged" process.

DHS to investigate alleged vote fraud

According to internal federal guidance reviewed by CNN, the Department of Homeland Security is planning to step up its voter fraud investigations in several states starting Tuesday.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has pushed to make the department a bigger part of President Donald Trump’s effort to investigate alleged widespread election fraud.

DHS has also asked states to share voter rolls for audits and warned that it could withhold grant money from states that refuse to follow broader election reforms.

One of the Homeland Security agencies, Homeland Security Investigations, will carry on the investigative work. Homeland Security Investigations is  an arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement that typically tackles major crimes like human trafficking, drug smuggling, and child exploitation.

According to the report, the unprecedented number of agents are already working on voter fraud cases, including chasing down voter histories of people believed to be noncitizens who may have illegally voted or registered to vote.

Starting Tuesday, HSI is launching a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review,” the guidance says.

9 states to take the investigative action

Offices in nine states are expected to take investigative action from early September to mid-October, according to the guidance. The states include Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York and Connecticut.

The guidance’s reference to investigative steps is notable as the push comes as the midterm elections get underway. Such “overt” investigative actions as elections approach have historically been discouraged under a long-standing Justice Department policy that limits actions that could influence elections.

“Doing otherwise runs the risk of chilling legitimate voting and campaign activities and of interjecting the investigation itself into ongoing campaigns and the adjudication of any ensuing election contest,” the Justice Department manual says.

“It may, however, often be appropriate, in consultation with the Public Integrity Section, to share information and allegations involving such matters with state or local authorities where an immediate need for overt measures exists.”