Insufficient workforce coupled with dwindling trust: Certain states assert that they can no longer depend on the Department of Homeland Security under Trump's leadership for secure elections.
In the aftermath of the contentious 2020 U.S. elections, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) found itself at the centre of controversy when it publicly rebutted false claims about elections being rigged or stolen. However, concerns about election security have persisted, with state election heads expressing apprehension over cuts to the federal government's election security work.
One notable incident occurred in 2020 when hackers replaced candidates' photos with that of Iran's former supreme leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. This hack, along with the potential for hackers to exploit other online election-related systems, has raised fears of making it more difficult for people to vote or sowing chaos around unofficial results.
The Trump administration's response to these concerns was to cut most of CISA's election security services. This move has been met with criticism from Verified Voting's head, Smith, who questioned the rationale behind the cuts, stating that the most important thing is that relational trust got broken.
Since retaking the presidency, Trump has called for the agency's director in his first term, Christopher Krebs, to be investigated, despite no public evidence of wrongdoing. This action has disheartened and upset agency employees.
In a positive development, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency has emerged as the clearinghouse for election officials to share cybersecurity information. However, the open communication between the agency and states that was fundamental to how the government protected elections from hackers appears to be severely degraded.
The Trump administration has also cut funding for the EI-ISAC, a threat information sharing program for election officials. This lack of resources has forced state officials to figure out a new way forward.
In a significant policy shift, President Trump issued an executive order reshaping federal cybersecurity policy in 2025, which includes changes affecting CISA's role. However, these changes do not mention election security cooperation with states explicitly.
Despite the challenges, the vast majority of voting machines in the U.S. now use paper ballots, which the voter can verify and which can be audited. This provides a measure of security and accountability in the election process.
As of mid-2025, the confirmed leadership of CISA is Jen Easterly, who was appointed under the Biden administration. This indicates that there has not been a second Trump administration after 2020–2021. The search results do not mention a second Trump administration or its direct policies related to election security cooperation with states.
In conclusion, no evidence or mention of a second Trump administration exists in 2025, and no details on election security cooperation between state election heads and CISA under a second Trump administration are available. The current status of election security cooperation between state election officials and CISA under a second Trump administration cannot be confirmed or described from these sources. The cuts to election security have been made, but there is no sign of any explanation about why they are necessary, prudent, or helpful.
- The cut in funding for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency's (CISA) election security services by the Trump administration has led to concerns among election officials about election security.
- The potential exploitation of online election-related systems by hackers has raised fears of making it more difficult for people to vote or sowing chaos around unofficial results.
- The Trump administration's action to investigate the agency's director, Christopher Krebs, despite no public evidence of wrongdoing, has disheartened and upset agency employees.
- The open communication between CISA and state election officials, fundamental to the government's protection of elections from hackers, appears to be severely degraded.
