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RandySF

(82,957 posts)
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 12:10 AM 3 hrs ago

States asked the Trump admin. to affirm they, not the Feds, run elections. They were met with silence

Trump administration officials declined to affirm states’ authority to run elections during a private meeting with state election chiefs Wednesday, according to an election official who was on the call.

Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows (D) said she asked Heather Honey, a senior “election integrity” official in the Department of Homeland Security, and other top Trump administration officials about recent comments from President Donald Trump urging the federal government to “take over the voting.”

“When we asked about state sovereignty and whether they could make public statements reinforcing the state’s authority over elections, there was stunned silence,” Bellows told Democracy Docket.

Honey and an official from the U.S. Department of Justice instead told Bellows that they’d be happy to follow-up with her “one on one.”



https://www.democracydocket.com/news-alerts/states-asked-the-trump-admin-to-affirm-they-not-the-feds-run-elections-they-were-met-with-silence/


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States asked the Trump admin. to affirm they, not the Feds, run elections. They were met with silence (Original Post) RandySF 3 hrs ago OP
And What did they expect from the PEDO Cha 3 hrs ago #1
Other outlets are reporting this somewhat differently Fiendish Thingy 3 hrs ago #2
Bellows also confirmed officials saying that ICE agents will not be deployed Quiet Em 3 hrs ago #3
Does this administration have plans? Old Crank 2 hrs ago #5
PS... MIght be a good thing to get Cha 2 hrs ago #4
They'll meet "one on one".... JohnnyRingo 1 hr ago #6
whatever happened to STATES RIGHTS Skittles 1 hr ago #7

Cha

(318,090 posts)
1. And What did they expect from the PEDO
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 12:14 AM
3 hrs ago

Last edited Thu Feb 26, 2026, 01:17 AM - Edit history (1)

Stealer of Elections

Fiendish Thingy

(22,670 posts)
2. Other outlets are reporting this somewhat differently
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 12:20 AM
3 hrs ago

Honey is quoted by California officials as saying there are no plans to deploy ICE agents to polling places in November.

Quiet Em

(2,726 posts)
3. Bellows also confirmed officials saying that ICE agents will not be deployed
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 12:38 AM
3 hrs ago
“Federal agencies told the states that ICE would not be deployed at polling places in the fall," Bellows told reporters after the virtual meeting. "That’s good news, because that’s federal law. That would be completely unlawful and unconstitutional should the answer be anything different.”


This is the concern

“Where we have concerns is when there are political statements about what the states should be doing and refusal by the Department of Homeland Security or the Department of Justice to recognize the sovereignty of the states under the Constitution in administering the elections,” Bellows said.


https://www.newscentermaine.com/article/news/politics/maine-secretary-of-state-trump-administration-interfere-mid-term-elections-shenna-bellows/97-bbc44fc7-f5e5-4a46-a8af-91844d2c1a14

Cha

(318,090 posts)
4. PS... MIght be a good thing to get
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 01:42 AM
2 hrs ago

on Record, though, that the States asked for Verification.

JohnnyRingo

(20,726 posts)
6. They'll meet "one on one"....
Thu Feb 26, 2026, 02:04 AM
1 hr ago

That probably means the fed only wants to take over the voting in "certain states".

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