Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

World

Election officials describe federal government's investigations into voting system | 60 Minutes

Election officials respond to allegations from the Justice Department about noncitizen voting as new polling shows that only half of Americans believe the upcoming elections will be free and fair.

The U.S. Justice Department is intensifying investigations into the integrity of voting systems across the country, as tensions rise ahead of the midterm elections. According to a report by 60 Minutes, federal agents in Georgia recently raided a local election facility, seizing thousands of ballots and election materials. The agency claims the seizure is part of an investigation into potential noncitizen voting, but the county officials involved deny this and allege the raid was politically motivated to undermine trust in the electoral process.

Dana Barrett, a Democrat commissioner in Fulton County, Georgia, recounted the FBI raid on her facility, stating that armed agents, wearing tactical gear and carrying weapons, forcibly entered the warehouse with a search warrant. Barrett expressed shock at the intrusion, claiming they had no choice but to comply. The FBI has seized over 600 boxes of election records, but the location of these materials remains unknown.

Barrett believes the raid and seizure were intended to intimidate and undermine the 2026 and 2028 elections.

The Justice Department has also targeted election officials in other states, demanding access to voter registration lists containing sensitive personal information. Lieuvent Governor of Utah, Deidre Henderson, refused to comply, citing privacy concerns. The department has sued these officials, threatening prosecution if they allow noncitizens to vote. Henderson asserts that instances of noncitizen voting are exceedingly rare, with Utah reporting only 52 questionable voters out of 2 million.

The administration's actions, both federal and state, have sown doubt among the public about the reliability of elections. Critics argue that the investigations are politically motivated and serve to erode confidence in the democratic process.

Written by urgent.news from CBS News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

This story

This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.

Read the original at cbsnews.com →

More in World

France's Debt Reckoning: The Price of Sovereignty

France’s next political contest will also be a test of fiscal credibility. On 6 Oct, Marine Le Pen presented a programme promising €140 billion in spending cuts by 2032, net of at least €30 billion in tax cuts, according to Reuters.

More from Sunday 18 October →