DHS Officials Sought Secret Voting Machine Hacking Test

Federal election security operations faced new scrutiny after political appointees at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) asked the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) to secretly obtain and hack a voting machine early in President Donald Trump's second term. According to a ProPublica investigation published October 19, 2026, two former administration officials said the appointees wanted the findings delivered to the White House without notifying the machine's manufacturer.

CISA employees considered the request inconsistent with the agency's mission to protect election infrastructure from cyberattacks. The request was ultimately abandoned after staff repeatedly explained that the operation could not be carried out, partly because specialists capable of conducting it had been dismissed.

One former administration official described concerns about how the results might be used.

"My thought was they could keep it in their back pocket to invalidate any [election] results they don't like," the former official told ProPublica.

The official also emphasized the conflict between the request and the agency's responsibilities.

"This goes against everything CISA represents."

The request emerged amid extensive staffing reductions at CISA. According to ProPublica, more than 1,000 employees have left or been pushed out during Trump's second term, reducing the agency's workforce by approximately one-third. The president's proposed 2027 budget would cut another $700 million from its funding, potentially leading to 900 additional job losses.

These reductions have coincided with complaints from state election officials about limited federal assistance ahead of the November 2026 midterm elections. Several states said CISA had provided little or no support during critical preparation periods.

Ryan Macias, an election technology and cybersecurity expert who previously consulted for CISA, described the agency's diminished presence in state election planning.

"There is a difference between deprioritizing and being nonexistent," Macias said.

He said the agency had failed to provide meaningful assistance during much of the preparation period.

"In 2025 and through mid-September 2026, they were nonexistent. Literally nonexistent."

CISA released a 13-page election security plan on September 24, according to Anadolu Agency. However, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows criticized the timing of the assistance.

"Too little, too late," Bellows said.

Another concern involves information-sharing between federal and state authorities. ProPublica reported that the administration's release of records related to disputed claims about the 2020 election included sensitive material previously provided to CISA by state officials. Some state authorities subsequently questioned whether sharing information with the agency remained safe.

A former senior federal cybersecurity official who now advises state governments said the disclosures had undermined the trust required for cooperation.

"There's no fucking way they're ever going to give any information to CISA. And it's unclear if they ever will in the future."

The loss of cooperation could limit CISA's access to information needed to identify threats, while states have increasingly relied on their own resources to address cybersecurity gaps. ProPublica reported that some jurisdictions have paid for monitoring technology to detect unusual activity on election networks, although states cannot easily replace federal intelligence about foreign cyber actors.

Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said his concerns centered on the administration's actions rather than its public statements about election security.

"I don't pay attention to what the president says. I pay attention to what his administration does," Fontes said.

Fontes added that state election officials had been left without the federal support they previously relied on.

"And what they've done is basically cut us off and left us on our own."

The White House defended the administration's approach. Spokesperson Lauren Bis said Trump had taken steps to protect election integrity and rejected criticism of his record.

"President Trump has done more than any other President to ensure we have free and fair elections," Bis said in a statement cited by ProPublica.

DHS and CISA did not respond to ProPublica's interview requests or its detailed questions about the proposed voting machine operation and the agency's election security work. Democratic lawmakers have called for an investigation into CISA's ability to fulfill its responsibilities as the 2026 midterm elections approach.