WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security plans to start expanding its effort to investigate alleged voter fraud this week, CNN has reported, citing federal guidance it reviewed.
Starting Tuesday, an investigative unit within the department, Homeland Security Investigations, will begin a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review,” the guidance said, according to CNN.
The investigative work would take place from early September to mid-October in states including Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California, Pennsylvania, Nevada, New York and Connecticut, CNN said.
The effort kicks off as Republicans are locked in a tight battle to retain control of Congress in midterm elections to be held in November.
The Homeland Security department could not be immediately reached for comment.
President Donald Trump issued an executive order in March, directing the Homeland Security department to compile and transmit to states a list of U.S. citizens eligible to vote in each state, and the Justice Department to prioritize investigating and prosecuting state and local election officials who issue ballots to people deemed “not eligible” to vote in federal elections.
It also required the U.S. Postal Service to deliver ballots only to voters on each state’s approved mail-in ballot list.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday lifted a court order blocking the administration from implementing Trump’s executive order restricting the use of mail-in ballots. But the fate of the order remains uncertain, as a separate injunction blocking a key part of the plan remains in place.
Trump has vowed to end the use of mail-in ballots nationwide before the midterms, and has long cast doubt on the security of such ballots, although evidence of voter fraud is rare.
Trump’s executive order is part of his wider efforts to make fundamental changes in U.S. elections. Trump, who has made false claims of widespread fraud in U.S. elections including his 2020 loss to former Democratic President Joe Biden, has pressed the Republican-controlled Congress to pass a contentious package of voting restrictions called the SAVE America Act.
(Reporting by Katharine JacksonEditing by Nick Zieminski)
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