Trump Appointees Asked a Federal Cybersecurity Agency to Secretly Acquire a Voting Machine — and Hack It by Andy Mannix and Doug Bock Clark October 19, 2026, 5:00 am (+++)

Trump Appointees Asked a Federal Cybersecurity Agency to Secretly Acquire a Voting Machine — and Hack It by Andy Mannix and Doug Bock Clark October 19, 2026, 5:00 am https://www.propublica.org/article/cisa-election-security-donald-trump?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature How the Trump administration politicized a cybersecurity agency that protects U.S. election systems; see where judges dismissed Trump’s voter data lawsuits; a guide to mail-in voting; and what we’re watching ahead of the midterms. Election Day is about two weeks away, and some voters are already casting their ballots in the 2026 midterms. Our reporters have spent the year covering the security of the country’s voting systems — and we just published a new investigation from Andy Mannix and Doug Bock Clark on that topic. A few months into President Donald Trump’s second term, Department of Homeland Security appointees made an unusual request of its agency that protects election systems: Secretly acquire a voting machine and hack it. The request, which shocked career staffers, was not acted upon. But it shows how the Trump administration has tried to use the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency for its own ends while draining it of its staff and resources. Some state authorities said they no longer trusted the administration enough to share information with CISA, a key to the agency’s success in the past. A White House spokesperson defended Trump’s handling of election security in a statement. “President Trump has done more than any other President to ensure we have free and fair elections,” said Lauren Bis, who referred specific questions about CISA’s handling of elections to DHS. DHS and CISA did not respond. “Devoid of Any Factual Basis”: Again and Again, Judges Have Dismissed Trump’s Voter Data Lawsuits Over the past year, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division has sued 30 states and Washington, D.C., to demand their unredacted voter rolls. The vast majority of cases have been thrown out. by Lucas Waldron and Peter Elkind Oct. 16, 2026 https://projects.propublica.org/trump-doj-voter-data-lawsuits/?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=toc What to Know About Mail-In Voting for the 2026 Midterms The Supreme Court blocked the Trump administration from imposing new rules on mail-in voting before the November midterm elections. That means nothing has changed for voters — and mail-in voting can proceed as planned. https://www.propublica.org/article/mail-in-voting-rules-midterm-elections?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=toc