Yesterday, Stephanie Thomas, Connecticut’s Secretary of the State, held a press conference to respond to reports that Connecticut would be one of nine states the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials intend to investigate in the coming weeks for election fraud. Thomas, who had neither confirmed nor denied the report’s validity or spoken to DHS officials, said she held the conference to assure Connecticut voters that elections will proceed as usual.
“Every time there’s a news report, voters are getting impacted,” said Thomas. “They’re confused. They’re scared. So whether the news report is true or not, what I am addressing to Connecticut voters is that we will have an election, that there are many people, many agencies working to make sure that it is a secure election on many fronts, and that if something should happen, we have the people and the tools to address it.”
According to a DHS memo obtained by CNN, starting today, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) personnel will begin a “coordinated criminal voter fraud surge initiative to pursue investigative leads, conduct field interviews, and support timely prosecutorial review.” HSI, which falls under the umbrella of ICE, employs over 7,100 special agents, who are primarily tasked with investigating human trafficking, narcotics smuggling, financial and cybercrime and IP theft. The memo reportedly states that HSI personnel will continue these investigations until mid-October. In addition to Connecticut, HSI will reportedly be investigating New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, Wisconsin, Missouri, Georgia, California and Nevada.
Thomas confirmed that she has yet to hear from DHS officials regarding the memo, said she hasn’t “had time yet” to reach out to DHS, and she assumed “they will reach out to us.” She also said she has yet to hear from any “registrars, voters, or town clerks of any activities in their towns or any effort [by DHS] to make contact,” and that she doesn’t intend to reach out to DHS “based on one news report.” Providing little in the way of answers, Thomas did ask several questions of her own.
“Now, here is what we don’t know,” said Thomas. “If the reports are true, why was Connecticut selected?” If it is true, who or what may be investigated here? What specific activity is planned, or when may it occur?”
The memo would represent the latest in a series of efforts by the Trump administration to strengthen federal control over states’ constitutionally enshrined power to administer elections. In May 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice began requesting voter rolls from all 50 states and Washington, D.C., and in March, DOJ officials announced they would share that data with DHS. Thus far, 17 states, including Missouri, have willingly complied with the request, while 31 states, including Connecticut, have challenged it. While Judge Kari Dooley of the United States District Court for the District of Connecticut dismissed the DOJ’s case against Connecticut on July 17, the DOJ filed an appeal on July 23.
In June, CNN reported that DHS intends to withhold millions in federal terrorism-prevention and natural disaster mitigation funding from non-compliant states for noncompliance. The administration plans to audit state voter rolls by cross-analyzing them with DHS’s SAVE list, a list that DHS officials previously admitted is insufficient for ensuring a person’s citizenship status, to create a uniform federal voter database and provide states with their own list of federally approved voters.
Thomas questioned the timing of the initiative, saying it was “unusual” to have “overt election-related investigatory activity this close to an election,” referring to the DOJ’s policies and procedures, which advise against such actions.
“That timing really does matter,” said Thomas. “The U.S. Department of Justice’s own manual recognizes, and I quote: ‘Overt investigative steps involving alleged ballot fraud can chill legitimate voting.'”
Last week, the Supreme Court paused a previous federal court’s injunction against an executive order that called for increased restrictions on mail-in voting. In Connecticut, allegations of absentee ballot stuffing and election fraud in support of Bridgeport Mayor Joe Ganim during the city’s 2019 and 2023 mayoral primary elections led to a court-ordered redo of the 2023 election, and criminal prosecution related to the scandal is still ongoing. When assessing federal-level elections, however, several analyses have concluded that instances of mail-in fraud remain much lower than President Trump has claimed.
While last week’s Supreme Court ruling ostensibly cleared the way for the U.S. Postal Service to begin updating procedures to be in-line with Trump’s executive order, the short turnaround time between the ruling and November’s elections, and the fact that new litigation has since been filed in opposition to the order’s constitutionality, has led to confusion among state and federal officials and legal scholars as to what the ruling’s impact might ultimately be. Thomas said she’s seen this confusion herself, which is why she called the conference.
“Numerous people reach out to me daily, very confused,” said Thomas. “Just last week, we had several court rulings back and forth, back and forth about mail-in voting. I don’t even know how many calls I’ve gotten, text messages, emails —[of] people so confused about whether or not they can vote by mail that I spent most of last week reassuring people, even some election workers, that nothing had changed despite all the court cases.”
Thomas stressed that the state takes election integrity “very seriously,” saying that any evidence of impropriety “should be investigated,” and that if “the facts establish misconduct, there should be accountability,” but that DHS has yet to provide her office with “any evidence of an ineligible person registering or voting in Connecticut.” Two weeks ago, Thomas sparred with State Republicans for amplifying claims that an illegal immigrant was registered to vote, a claim that turned out to be refuted as a case of mistaken identity. At that time, Thomas said election misinformation “chips away at public confidence in elections,” a message she echoed at yesterday’s conference.
“Chaos does not make any system stronger,” said Thomas. “So, as long as I am in this office, I will always try to convert chaos to calm, because we are here ultimately to support the people of Connecticut, and I want to reassure them — they do not have to sort through every federal investigation, lawsuit, or policy change on their own, they don’t have to figure out if what they’re hearing is mis- or disinformation — The office of the Secretary of the State and our local election officials are the experts on voting in Connecticut. And if members of the public have questions, turn to us.”
Thomas highlighted that the state’s voter guide will be released on October 1st, advising residents to follow her office on social media, receive text updates on elections by texting “vote” to 860-321-4221, or visit myvote.ct.gov to remain informed with up-to-date information. She pledged to keep voters informed of any new information as it relates to the memo as soon as she receives it.
“My job is to make sure that every eligible Connecticut voter has the facts, understands their options, and can participate with full confidence,” said Thomas. “I will always tell you what we know, what we do not know, and what any changes will mean for Connecticut. I will continue to speak up for states’ rights when that is warranted, and I will continue to advocate for our hardworking election officials at the local level.”
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