The Department of Homeland Security has dramatically expanded its investigation into alleged voter fraud ahead of the 2026 midterm elections, using tens of millions of records and examining nonprofit organizations involved in voter registration, according to newly obtained internal government documents.
Records obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request show that Homeland Security Investigations, the investigative arm of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, obtained 48.4 million records from sources described in the documents as independent information providers. The records were gathered as part of an effort to investigate potential election-related fraud.
The broader federal campaign has focused heavily on identifying noncitizens who may have registered or voted illegally. DHS has redirected federal personnel toward reviewing voter-registration data and has worked with government databases and commercial information sources to identify people who could potentially be ineligible to vote.
Internal documents also indicate that investigators examined dozens of nonprofit voter-registration organizations and considered using undercover personnel to determine whether groups were assisting noncitizens in registering to vote. The extent to which those undercover operations were ultimately carried out is not clear from the publicly released records.
The scale of the investigation comes as the Trump administration has made alleged noncitizen voting a major election-security focus. DHS officials have said the initiative is intended to protect election integrity, while voting-rights organizations and election experts have questioned the reliability of some of the methods used to identify potentially ineligible voters.
DHS’s efforts have already produced a substantial number of investigations, but the figures remain small compared with the size of the U.S. electorate. The Associated Press reported that the administration had identified roughly 1,600 voter-fraud cases resulting in about 160 arrests. Those figures cover a nationwide effort involving millions of voter records.
Critics have raised concerns that databases used to identify potential noncitizens can contain outdated or incomplete information, potentially flagging citizens who are legally entitled to vote. Earlier reviews of the expanded DHS verification system have identified cases in which naturalized citizens were mistakenly flagged as possible noncitizens.
The investigation is unfolding amid ongoing legal disputes over the federal government’s role in reviewing state voter rolls. States and voting-rights groups have challenged some of the administration’s efforts, arguing that election administration and voter qualifications are governed in significant part by state law and that inaccurate federal data could result in eligible voters being removed from registration lists.
The revelations come just weeks before the November midterm elections, increasing attention on how federal agencies are using voter information and investigative powers. DHS has maintained that its efforts are aimed at identifying criminal activity and protecting election integrity.
The newly disclosed records provide a closer look at the breadth of the federal operation, including the enormous volume of information being collected and the investigative methods officials have considered. Questions over privacy, accuracy and the appropriate federal role in election administration are likely to remain central as the investigation continues.
