DHS created a ‘law enforcement voter integrity’ checklist, new filing reveals. Dems want to see it

Democrats are demanding to see a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) “checklist” for law enforcement on “voter integrity.” 

The 12-page document — which appears to have existed since at least last year — raises more questions about potential Trump administration plans to use armed federal agents to disrupt voting.

The Democratic National Committee (DNC) flagged the existence of the document in a Friday court filing in its lawsuit seeking information on possible plans to deploy immigration agents or military personnel to the polls this fall.  

In a status report, lawyers for the DNC told U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell that DHS has since July withheld the document, titled “Checklist for Law Enforcement Voter Integrity 9.15.25 – FINAL DRAFT — BSI suggestions.docx.”

The “BSI” in the title refers to the Office of Border Security & Immigration, DHS’s policy arm that evaluates and coordinates the implementation of department-wide immigration and border-related policies.

It’s unclear why BSI, which focuses strictly on immigration and border security matters, was asked to provide input for the voting-related law enforcement checklist. Additionally, it’s uncertain where the document originated and what specific law enforcement agency it was intended for.

DHS did not immediately respond to Democracy Docket’s questions about what the document contains and why BSI’s advice was sought in its creation.

President Donald Trump’s allies have repeatedly called on him to deploy Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and National Guard troops to voting sites for the midterms — a tactic clearly meant to intimidate voters and poll workers and influence election outcomes.

The White House and senior Trump officials have refused to rule out that possibility. In fact, some, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Attorney General Todd Blanche, have endorsed law enforcement activities near polling sites.

Fears about the Trump administration’s potential actions this November have led civil rights organizations to file lawsuits around the country seeking to preemptively bar DHS from deploying federal officers to polls.

Federal law bars the deployment of federal troops or armed federal law enforcement to any polling place unless “such force be necessary to repel armed enemies of the United States.” Deliberately intimidating, or attempting to intimidate, a voter is also a crime.

The DNC’s lawyers asked Howell to order DHS to produce the document by early this week. They noted they became aware of the document only because it was included as an attachment in an email DHS previously disclosed through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit.

In response to weeks of stonewalling by the Trump administration, Howell ordered federal agencies in May to respond to the DNC’s suit and begin handing over documents. Initially, ICE claimed it had no documents relevant to the request but later reversed course and told Howell that, in fact, it had over 11,000 potentially responsive pages.

Before then, DHS did not produce the document nor log court records, even though its title appears to relate to the DNC’s FOIA requests for documents on the “potential employment of federal agents and troops to polling places, drop boxes, and election offices.”

In the status report, DHS claimed it withheld the document by accident due to “an administrative error.”

“On behalf of DHS, undersigned counsel for Defendants apologizes to the Court and to Plaintiff for these omissions and the resulting delay,” DHS said.

The department added that the checklist, which is 12 pages, was processed in July 2026 and was flagged as requiring legal consultation with the Department of Justice (DOJ) before its release. However, a consultation request regarding that record was never sent.

“DHS sent a belated consultation request regarding the record to DOJ on September 16, 2026, and will follow up with the relevant office to ensure the request is appropriately prioritized in light of the Court’s previous orders in this matter,” DHS said.

The cryptic checklist builds on the concerning documents the Trump administration has turned over to the DNC through the FOIA request.

Last week, the committee released a 78-page document listing the states and counties that offer election materials and ballots in non-English languages. 

First reported on by NPR, the list has raised alarm among Democrats, who fear it indicates the Trump administration may be gearing up to target jurisdictions with large immigrant and non-English-speaking populations as it seeks to validate false claims of widespread illegal voting by noncitizens.

DHS told NPR it created the list because anyone who votes illegally shouldn’t be able to “use a purported lack of knowledge” of English to avoid prosecution.