Seventeen employees at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), responsible for securing elections, have been placed on administrative leave, potentially disrupting support for state and local election offices ahead of the 2024 election.
Among those placed on leave are 10 regional election security specialists hired to expand field staff and provide expertise on cybersecurity and physical threats. These specialists had been working with election officials nationwide to assess risks, conduct training, and strengthen election security.
A source familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to speak publicly, said the internal review is examining efforts to counter foreign interference in U.S. elections—tasks that had reportedly been reassigned to other CISA personnel.
The affected employees include former state and local election officials who had spent the past year building relationships with election offices in all 50 states and more than 8,000 local jurisdictions. Their responsibilities included coordinating with election officials, attending security briefings, and providing guidance on cybersecurity best practices.
CISA and the Department of Homeland Security did not respond to requests for comment on Monday.
Bipartisan state election officials have defended CISA’s role in helping secure U.S. elections against cyber threats.
Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams, a Republican, emphasized the agency’s support for local election offices, particularly county clerks.
“The most value we’ve got from CISA has been the people on the ground in our state who build direct relationships with county clerks,” Adams said in an interview last month.
AP
