Midterm worries as election security agency sees changes

AP Photo/Ethan Swope

A sheriff’s deputy inspects ballots with the aid of a dog at the L.A. County Ballot Processing Center Nov. 4, 2025, in City of Industry, Calif.

Since it was created in 2018, the federal government's cybersecurity agency has helped warn state and local election officials about potential threats from foreign governments, showed officials how to protect polling places from attacks and gamed out how to respond to the unexpected, such as an Election Day bomb threat or sudden disinformation campaign

The agency was largely absent from that space for elections this month in several states, a potential preview for the 2026 midterms. Shifting priorities of the Trump administration, staffing reductions and budget cuts have many election officials concerned about how engaged th