Federal and State Election Laws Ban Federal Forces from Polling Places Americans should feel safe to vote free from intimidation by the presence of the military or federal agents.

The law is crystal clear: Federal officials sending troops or armed men, like ICE agents, to the polls is punishable by up to 5 years in prison. And every state outlaws voting intimidation. Learn more from my colleague @seanmorales-doyle.bsky.social: 
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

In the absence of federal leadership on the issue, states should continue protecting their citizens from the worst risks of unregulated AI, no matter how loudly the industry complains about having to play by rules meant to protect us all.

The executive order is vague. It’s unclear how much of it can be legally enforced. Presidents do not have the power to preempt state laws through executive action.

But what states should know is that this executive order can’t do much to stop them from enacting and enforcing good AI safety laws. It mostly amounts to political theater.

Since Congress has failed to act, threatening lawsuits and withholding broadband funds from states that protect their citizens—whether from autonomous vehicle risks or deepfakes designed to mislead voters—is indefensible. www.whitehouse.gov/presidential...

Congress Shouldn’t Stop States from Regulating AI — Especially with No Alternative The budget bill’s proposed freeze on existing and future state AI regulations endangers the public and democracy.

When my colleagues looked at these questions back in July, they found that hundreds of laws seeking to mitigate the risks of AI have been passed by Republican, Democratic, and bipartisan state governments. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Trump is trying to preempt state AI laws via an executive order. It may not be legal The executive order is the latest in a series of attempts by the Trump administration to hold back state-level AI rules. But many Republicans are also uncomfortable with the effort.

President Trump can’t preempt state AI regulations through an executive order. The Constitution doesn’t give him this power, nor has Congress delegated it. But at the behest of tech investor allies he tried, creating uncertainty for the many states with AI policies. www.npr.org/2025/12/11/n...

Why Future Federal Reports on Election Security May Be Unreliable By promoting an activist with a history of false election claims, the Department of Homeland Security is damaging its credibility.

Important heads up from my colleagues Derek and Avani! www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

Congress should pass comprehensive federal legislation regulating AI to protect the public from those dangers. Until then, it should keep letting the states move forward on protecting voters and the general public from grave risks posed by reckless developments in AI.

Congress Shouldn’t Stop States from Regulating AI — Especially with No Alternative The budget bill’s proposed freeze on existing and future state AI regulations endangers the public and democracy.

My colleague Yasmin Abusaif explained that the ban threatened laws ranging from prohibitions of deepfakes that could suppress votes, to safety regulations of driverless cars. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

The provision would have threatened at least 149 state laws passed in 41 states and DC.

Senate strikes AI provision from GOP bill after uproar from the states A proposal to deter states from regulating artificial intelligence for a decade was soundly defeated in the U.S. Senate on Tuesday, thwarting attempts to insert the measure into President Donald Trump...

Despite efforts from the tech industry, early this morning the Senate voted 99-1 to strike a dangerous 10-year ban on states regulating AI from the budget reconciliation bill. www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...

Congress may soon pass a moratorium on state regulation of Artificial Intelligence. The Brennan Center has found that the proposed moratorium could nullify at least 149 state laws passed in 41 states. 86 of these laws (58 percent) were enacted by states with Republican controlled legislatures. /1

Intimidation of State and Local Officeholders Left unchecked, abuse harms not only elected officials but also the public they serve.

When I researched this intimidation, I was touched by the concern legislators on both sides of the aisle expressed for their constituents--not only their supporters, but also those who wished to disagree safely and civilly. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

My heart goes out to the families impacted by the tragedy in Minnesota. Political violence is unacceptable, and it damages our democracy.

Election officials fear Trump’s cuts to cybersecurity agency they have relied on The agency’s support helped counties across the country navigate a flood of bomb threats on Election Day in 2024. But under Trump, about 130 of its employees have been fired.

The threat of malign foreign interference hasn’t gone away, and there’s nothing wasteful about giving election officials targeted assistance in protecting against it. www.votebeat.org/2025/02/27/c...

That’s why Republican Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R-OH) had required county election boards and their staff to join the EI-ISAC. www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets...

There are about 10,000 local election jurisdictions, ranging from towns of only a few thousand voters to urban jurisdictions. Local election officials cannot be expected to go it alone, defending our elections against threats from hostile nation-states. www.hsgac.senate.gov/wp-content/u...

The funding cut means that the Center for Internet Security has had to stop its support of the EI-ISAC, critically endangering the crucial national security work that EI-ISAC provides. The DHS funding supporting it was only a tiny, tiny fraction of the agency’s overall budget.

A Framework for Election Vendor Oversight Private companies supply vital elements of America’s election infrastructure but face almost no regulation. Federal standards are needed to ensure its security.

EI-ISAC also developed and shared best practices for election officials procuring voting machines, epollbooks, voter registration databases, and other election equipment. A vitally important task, since these vendors receive almost no federal oversight. www.brennancenter.org/our-work/pol...

EI-ISAC, with CIS’s support, helped facilitate communication between local election officials around the country, and the private sector like election equipment vendors, about the types of cyber threats officials were seeing and the best ways to protect the voting systems and equipment.

Homeland Security on X: "🚨BREAKING: Approximately $10 Million saved by cutting federal grant dollars to the Center for Internet Security for duplicative services already offered by the government & dubious election work. Keep up the good work @CISAgov." / X 🚨BREAKING: Approximately $10 Million saved by cutting federal grant dollars to the Center for Internet Security for duplicative services already offered by the government & dubious election work. Keep up the good work @CISAgov.

The funding was used to support the Election Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, an organization that helps state and local election officials prevent and address cyberattacks on election infrastructure. x.com/dhsgov/statu...

In bad news for election security, the Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday it's cutting $10 million in funding to the Center for Internet Security.