WA officials decry Trump administration’s reported ramp-up in voter fraud investigations

The Trump administration is reportedly redoubling efforts to root out voter fraud in a number of states this week, including Washington.

Washington officials are troubled at the news as President Donald Trump and his Department of Homeland Security continue to look for widespread election fraud for which there is no evidence.

CNN on Monday reported the anticipated ramp-up in Department of Homeland Security voter fraud investigations, citing internal agency guidance.

A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson declined to comment on the Washington operation, saying the agency can’t comment on “any active investigations” but is “actively rooting out and investigating election fraud wherever it can be found.”

It’s the latest electoral pressure point between the state and the federal government just weeks before ballots go out for the November midterm elections.

The Trump administration has also pushed for Washington’s voter rolls. And it has threatened to withhold federal funding for states that don’t adopt its desired changes meant to ensure that noncitizens are purged from the rolls.

Secretary of State Steve Hobbs called reports of the surge in voter fraud investigations “another attempt by the federal government to cause chaos and confusion ahead of the midterms.” 

Hobbs, a Democrat, noted Washington had just five documented cases of voter fraud out of 90 million ballots cast between 2008 and 2025. 

Attorney General Nick Brown, also a Democrat, said he has “no reason to believe this is a legitimate inquiry by DHS.”

“Washington state’s elections are secure thanks to the work of state and local leaders across the ideological spectrum,” he said in a statement. “No matter where the threat to our elections comes from, Washington will hold firm on the rule of law at this critical moment for democracy.”

Neither Hobbs nor Brown had additional information about the investigations beyond media reports. 

The Department of Homeland Security has turned to an arm of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to lead the probes, looking for noncitizen voters. 

Starting Tuesday, the guidance CNN reported says, Homeland Security Investigations is embarking on a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.”

Washington is among nine states where these actions are expected. The others reportedly are California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

“We have repeatedly demonstrated that illegal aliens can and do vote in our elections,” the unnamed Homeland Security spokesperson said in an email. “Under President Trump, HSI is committed to restoring integrity to our election systems and ensuring that American citizens and only American citizens are electing American leaders.”

The agency cited four cases in 2024 and 2025 of arrests connected to noncitizen voter fraud. 

Trump has pushed hard for Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, which would require proof of U.S. citizenship to register to vote and to show photo identification before casting a ballot. Democrats oppose the proposal.

His administration has also used the Department of Homeland Security to search for noncitizen voters. Federal officials have claimed they found tens of thousands of wrongfully registered voters. 

“Our message to aliens who vote in American elections is clear: we will find you, arrest you, and you will face the consequences — including criminal charges and deportation,” the agency spokesperson said.

Hobbs countered that the department is “wasting taxpayer dollars investigating a phenomenon we know to be false.”

He added: “I know that my office and county election officials across Washington state remain focused on administering a secure and fair election for Washington voters this November.”