Four local governments sue DHS over grants tied to Trump's election procedure demands
Four local governments filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security last week over the agency's move to withhold public safety grants unless jurisdictions adopt a set of election procedure changes, including mandatory paper ballots, proof of citizenship verification, and hand-counted audits of 5 percent of all ballots. Harris County, Texas (which encompasses Houston), Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and El Paso County, Texas, are named plaintiffs, each pointing to specific equipment and operations that depend on the grant money now at issue. El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez told Axios that transitioning to paper ballots alone would cost her county $3 million.
Key takeaways
- Four local governments — Harris County, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Nashville, Tennessee; and El Paso County, Texas — sued the Department of Homeland Security last week over its move to withhold public safety grants unless jurisdictions adopt certain election procedure changes.
- The election conditions include mandatory paper ballots, proof of citizenship verification, and hand-counted audits of 5 percent of all ballots.
- El Paso County said transitioning to paper ballots alone would cost $3 million, according to County Attorney Christina Sanchez.
- The plaintiffs said the grant funds were earmarked for public safety and counterterrorism equipment, such as detecting hazardous materials, chemicals, explosives, and biological weapons, plus SWAT gear.
- The suit follows a separate challenge filed earlier this summer by 25 Democrat-led states contesting the administration's election demands.
Four local governments filed suit against the Department of Homeland Security last week over the agency's move to withhold public safety grants unless jurisdictions adopt a set of election procedure changes, including mandatory paper ballots, proof of citizenship verification, and hand-counted audits of 5 percent of all ballots. Harris County, Texas (which encompasses Houston), Columbus, Ohio, Nashville, Tennessee, and El Paso County, Texas, are named plaintiffs, each pointing to specific equipment and operations that depend on the grant money now at issue. El Paso County Attorney Christina Sanchez told Axios that transitioning to paper ballots alone would cost her county $3 million.
The operational stakes
Harris County and El Paso County said in the lawsuit that they had earmarked the grant funds to purchase equipment for detecting hazardous materials, chemicals, explosives, and biological weapons. Nashville and Columbus cited previous grant cycles in which similar funds paid for explosive-detection machines and SWAT team gear. Harris County Attorney Abbie Kamin framed the administration's position as an attempt to "defund public safety and counterterrorism," arguing that federal counterterrorism dollars were being withheld for partisan purposes. A FEMA spokesperson pushed back, saying "election security is national security" and describing the voting changes as common-sense measures to protect critical infrastructure.
Last week's suit follows a separate challenge filed earlier this summer by 25 Democrat-led states contesting the administration's election demands. Some Republican-led jurisdictions have signaled a willingness to go along with at least the citizenship database check against voter rolls, though most local officials maintain that existing state and local law already covers the election administration and auditing work the Constitution assigns to them.
What to watch
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin set the terms in July, saying the administration would not "spend taxpayer dollars reimbursing the states that are refusing to secure their elections." The administration's leverage is not untested: similar funding threats tied to sanctuary immigration policies have previously failed in court. Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein, who told Axios his city had anticipated these disputes since the administration took office, called the latest action "illegal and unconstitutional." On a separate front, the Supreme Court on Monday lifted a block on Trump's plan to use the Postal Service to restrict mail-in ballot deliveries, though that measure still faces additional legal challenges. Court rulings on the DHS grant conditions are the next definitive milestones to monitor.
Related reading
Filed by the newsroom of MarketPR on August 27, 2026. Source: axios.com. Indicative figures are not investment advice.