A federal judge has ruled that the federal government cannot withhold counter‑terrorism funds from states in order to force changes to election administration.
In the decision, the judge noted that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has not explained how the election changes it seeks to impose are “tied to the goal of shoring up vulnerabilities to terrorist attacks.”
Without a clear link between the requested election reforms and the stated counter‑terrorism objectives, the court found the funding condition to be unsupported by evidence.
FEMA is responsible for coordinating disaster response and providing resources for national security and counter‑terrorism initiatives. The agency’s use of these funds to influence state election procedures has now been challenged in court.
State officials and election administrators who had previously raised concerns about the federal government’s conditional funding approach now have a judicial decision that affirms their ability to receive counter‑terrorism resources without being compelled to alter election practices.
<small>Source: CNBC — read the original story there.</small>