The Trump administration is attempting to rebuild the federal election security infrastructure at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) less than 100 days before the 2026 midterm elections.
Internal federal documents obtained in July 2026 indicate a push following major staff reductions and organizational overhauls at the Department of Homeland Security agency.
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State and local officials have been scrambling to fund private security vendors and manage cyber defenses independently.
New Operational Plan
Under the new operational plan outlined to Capitol Hill staff, remaining CISA employees are being reassigned to act as liaisons to state and local officials.
They will utilize security protocols similar to those deployed during the World Cup.
However, state election administrators and bipartisan lawmakers caution that the late-stage federal reorganization may arrive too late to effectively support local voting infrastructure before mail-in balloting begins.
Sarah Copeland Hanzas, Vermont Secretary of State, said, "This was all supported by federal agencies.
Now we’ve got to figure out how we can share that — with some duct tape and, you know, maybe a bungee cord or two."
In response to concerns, agency leadership maintains that voluntary technical assistance and threat-monitoring resources will remain accessible to election jurisdictions nationwide.
Nick Andersen, CISA acting Director, said, "Will further offer to states the cyber resources they need, including information about available no-cost voluntary services such as the sharing of threat information, technical expertise, vulnerability scanning, and other risk mitigation support."
