Election Integrity Concerns Rise with Controversial DHS Appointment
A ProPublica report reveals the appointment of Heather Honey, a prominent figure in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, to a key position within the Department of Homeland Security, raising alarms about the future of election security and trust in government.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has appointed Heather Honey, a vocal denier of Donald Trump’s 2020 election loss, to a senior role overseeing the nation’s election infrastructure. This move, first reported by Democracy Docket, has sparked widespread concern among election experts and state officials who fear it signals a shift away from safeguarding the democratic process and toward furthering unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud.
Honey is a protégé of Cleta Mitchell, an attorney who actively sought to overturn the 2020 election results. According to reporting from ProPublica in 2024, Honey played a central role in Mitchell’s efforts to alter Georgia’s election rules, possibly allowing Republican officials to challenge a potential Trump defeat in the state’s presidential race. She also actively promoted election conspiracy theories, including one specifically referenced by Trump in a speech delivered to his supporters before the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot.
While the responsibility for administering elections rests primarily with the states, DHS provides crucial support, especially in protecting critical infrastructure – such as IT systems and voter databases – from foreign interference. This role was established with bipartisan support following documented Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The appointment of Honey as DHS’ deputy assistant secretary of election integrity has prompted warnings that it could erode trust between state and federal officials, potentially discouraging states from sharing vital information with the agency. “We are witnessing a perilous trend: the elevation of known bad-faith actors like Heather Honey,” stated Adrian Fontes, arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, in a released statement. Fontes cited Honey’s “well-documented history of spreading election lies that have been debunked in court.” He further described her involvement with DHS as “deeply troubling,” arguing that “when the agency gives a platform to individuals who have actively worked to erode public trust, it becomes harder to view DHS as a reliable partner in election security.”
Attempts to obtain comment from DHS regarding Honey’s appointment and specific responsibilities were unsuccessful, as a spokesperson did not respond to inquiries from ProPublica. Honey herself did not respond to calls or emails, and the White House also declined to comment.
The current situation represents a stark contrast to the early days of the Trump management, when programs were established to protect U.S. elections from foreign interference, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). However, Trump reportedly became disillusioned with these initiatives after the director of CISA publ
sensitive responsibilities to someone with a history of spreading misinformation.
“Heather Honey’s past misleading claims about vote counts in Pennsylvania, among othre things, have helped fuel false conspiracy theories about stolen elections,” noted larry Norden, an election expert at the Brennan center for Justice at NYU Law, a nonpartisan law and policy group.
prior to her involvement in the “Stop the Steal” movement, Honey lacked experience in federal government or election administration, working instead as a private investigator based in Pennsylvania. Following the 2020 election,she served as a contractor for a Republican-backed audit in Maricopa County,Arizona,seeking evidence of voter fraud. Emails among those working on the review, which ultimately reaffirmed Biden’s victory, indicate that Honey contributed to drafting the final report.
Since then, Honey has led at least three organizations focused on reshaping election systems in line with conservative principles, such as tightening voter eligibility requirements. members of Honey’s Pennsylvania Fair Elections, a state chapter of Mitchell’s nationwide Election Integrity Network, have challenged the eligibility of thousands of residents to remain on voter rolls. She has also been involved in efforts to persuade several Republican-led states to withdraw from a bipartisan interstate partnership designed to enhance voter data sharing and security.
[Contact information for Doug Bock Clark at ProPublica is available for those with relevant information.]
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