As the Department of Homeland Security prepares to issue reports about the integrity of state election systems in the coming months, the public should be on the lookout for familiar tactics used by election deniers to spread false or misleading narratives.
…[T]he department quietly updated its organizational chart to include a new position: deputy assistant secretary for elections integrity.
The role was filled by Heather Honey, an activist known for promoting false information about Pennsylvania elections, including the repeatedly debunked claim that the state had more votes than voters in the 2020 election. Journalists, election officials, and other experts who have scrutinized her work have found a consistent pattern of misusing data to fit predetermined narratives. Following her appointment to DHS, Honey held a call with election officials from nearly all 50 states, where she reportedly echoed false claims that there had been widespread fraud in the 2020 election and referenced a report that falsely suggested that voting machines were rigged.
….After an election website in Arizona was hacked, state officials contacted several state and federal partner agencies but did not reach out to any part of DHS because of reliability concerns. Following Honey’s appointment, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes warned of further damage to these relationships: “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.”
[For more, see the NYT “Trump is Putting Election Deniers in Charge of Elections”]