In a move that has sent shockwaves through the election security community, Heather Honey, a prominent denier of the 2020 election results who actively pushed to overturn Donald Trump’s loss, has been appointed to a senior position within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Her new role places her in charge of overseeing U.S. election security, a responsibility that many experts find deeply concerning given her background in promoting election conspiracy theories.
A Troubling Appointment
Heather Honey’s appointment as Deputy Assistant Secretary of Election Integrity within DHS marks a significant shift in the agency’s approach to election security. This newly created position places her in the Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans, where she will reportedly help organize the government’s policy responses to potential cyber threats against electoral systems and likely involve her in access to classified information.
Honey is a protege of Cleta Mitchell, a lawyer who tried to help Trump overturn the 2020 election results. According to reporting by ProPublica, Honey played a key role in Mitchell’s behind-the-scenes effort to change Georgia’s election rules to allow Republican officials to contest a potential Trump loss in the 2024 presidential race. Honey also promoted election conspiracy theories, including one that Trump cited in a speech to his followers before they stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.
Conflict of Interest and Expert Concerns
Experts on voting and state election officials have warned that Honey’s appointment could erode trust between state and federal officials, potentially prompting states to withhold vital information from the agency. “We are witnessing a dangerous trend: the elevation of known bad-faith actors like Heather Honey,” said Adrian Fontes, Arizona’s Democratic secretary of state, in a statement, citing Honey’s “well-documented history of spreading election lies that have been debunked in court.”
The appointment has raised serious concerns about the potential politicization of election security and the threat to democratic institutions and election integrity. Larry Norden, an election expert at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law, noted that “Heather Honey’s past misleading claims about vote counts in Pennsylvania, among other things, have helped fuel false conspiracy theories about stolen elections.” He emphasized his concerns about Honey’s portfolio given her history of spreading misinformation.
David Becker, the executive director of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, expressed alarm at the implications of her appointment. “The hiring of an election conspiracy theorist with no election knowledge or expertise is the culmination of this reversal,” Becker said. “DHS now appears poised to become a primary amplifier of false election conspiracies pushed by our enemies.”
Lack of Relevant Experience
Prior to her appointment, Honey had no experience in the federal government or as an election administrator. She worked as a Pennsylvania-based private investigator before becoming swept up in the “Stop the Steal” movement. After the 2020 election, she became a contractor for a Republican-backed audit seeking proof of fraud in ballots cast in Maricopa County, Arizona. According to emails between employees working on the review, which ended up reaffirming Biden’s win, Honey helped draft the final report.
Since then, Honey has led at least three organizations devoted to transforming election systems in ways championed by conservatives, such as tightening eligibility requirements for people to be on voter rolls. 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 be on voter rolls.
A Troubled Agency
Honey’s appointment comes as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), an arm of DHS responsible for election security, has faced significant cuts under the Trump administration. The Trump administration has gutted election security programs, cutting hundreds of employees at CISA. The agency’s director, Chris Krebs, is now under federal investigation, according to DHS; Krebs told CNN that the investigation appeared to be an act of political retribution.
The Justice Department has also rolled back a program aimed at combatting foreign influence campaigns. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote in a memorandum that the Justice Department’s program was disbanded to “free resources to address more pressing priorities, and end risks of further weaponization and abuses of prosecutorial discretion.”
CISA has lost nearly one-third of its staff since the Trump administration began, with about 1,000 people leaving the agency. The Trump administration’s 2026 budget proposal calls for cutting $491 million from the budget of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. These cuts, combined with the appointment of someone with Honey’s background, have raised concerns that the Trump administration intends to eliminate safeguards of fair U.S. elections.
Historical Context
The federal government’s role in election security was significantly expanded after Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, when CISA was established as a division within DHS to protect critical infrastructure from physical and cyber threats. CISA works to secure both the physical security and cybersecurity of the systems and assets that support the nation’s elections.
However, Trump soured on these initiatives after the director of CISA publicly rebutted his claims that the 2020 election was stolen. The cuts to CISA under the current administration represent a dramatic reversal of the bipartisan support the agency initially received for its election security work.
Conclusion
The appointment of Heather Honey to oversee U.S. election security represents a significant departure from the norms that have governed federal election security efforts. With her background promoting election conspiracy theories and her lack of experience in election administration, many experts fear that her appointment will further erode trust in the electoral process and politicize efforts to protect election infrastructure.
As the 2024 election approaches, the combination of CISA’s diminished capacity due to budget cuts and staffing reductions, along with the appointment of someone who has actively worked to undermine confidence in past elections, raises serious questions about the nation’s preparedness to defend against both foreign interference and domestic disinformation campaigns.
The situation reflects high public concern and debate, driven by the perceived danger of placing someone who actively sought to undermine past elections in charge of securing future ones. As election officials, security experts, and citizens watch closely, the appointment serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of democratic institutions and the importance of maintaining nonpartisan approaches to election security.
Sources
- Techdirt: She Pushed To Overturn Trump’s Loss In The 2020 Election. Now She’ll Help Oversee U.S. Election Security.
- ProPublica: Heather Honey, an Election Denier, Will Help Oversee Election Security at the DHS
- Brennan Center for Justice: How the Federal Government Is Undermining Election Security
- Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency: Election Security
- Votebeat: Activist Heather Honey appointed to Homeland Security election post
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