A federal judge vacated a Trump administration rule that would have allowed FEMA to withhold 20% of counterterrorism funds from states unless they made certain changes to election administration. Judge Amir Ali ruled that FEMA exceeded its legal authority by conditioning the grant funds on modifications to routine election procedures. The required changes included transitioning to hand-marked paper ballots, conducting post-election audits of 5% of ballots, verifying U.S. citizenship of voters and election workers, and reconciling the number of voters to ballots cast. The judge found that FEMA failed to demonstrate how these requirements were connected to counterterrorism objectives. The ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by two Texas counties, a Tennessee county, and the city of Columbus, Ohio.
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