Padilla, Warner, Peters Demand Answers on Election Security Preparations Ahead of 2026 Midterms

WASHINGTON, D.C. - With less than six months until the 2026 midterm elections, U.S. Senators Alex Padilla (D-Calif.), Ranking Member of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee, Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Ranking Member of the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, demanded answers from Trump Administration officials with oversight of the intelligence community and election security efforts about their lack of election security preparation, insufficient coordination with Congress and election officials, and unsupported public claims about voting system vulnerabilities.

In a letter to Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, Director of Homeland Security Markwayne Mullin, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation Kash Patel, and Director of the National Security Agency Joshua Rudd, the Senators emphasized the need for election security preparedness efforts from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI).

"Although we are less than 6 months from the election and less than three months from the start of early voting in several states, ODNI's election security efforts for this election cycle are clearly still in their infancy," wrote the Senators. "Notably, no meaningful steps have been taken to coordinate information sharing and incident response between Executive Branch agencies or to ensure timely information dissemination to election stakeholders such as state and local election officials or to relevant private sector entities. Such inaction is particularly concerning given that the mechanisms and channels previously relied on to share and disseminate information have been decimated by Administration-induced funding and personnel cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)."

ODNI's alarming inaction is also coupled with Gabbard's harmful and unsubstantiated statements on alleged "evidence" of vulnerabilities to voting systems and manipulation of election threats, as well as the agency's own highly unusual investigations regarding purported election security. The Senators stated they have not received any intelligence products concerning threats to election security, including any products that could support ongoing investigation into past elections or underlie claims about alleged voting system insecurity.

"In light of our concerns, and consistent with past practice, we request that ODNI, CISA, FBI, and NSA provide regular briefings to congressional staff starting immediately and continuing through the November 2026 midterm elections," continued the Senators. "These briefings should cover threats to the elections; the Executive Branch's efforts to counter, defend against, and share information about those threats; and any information regarding the security of the November 2025 elections and the 2026 primaries in advance of the general election. Any relevant intelligence products informing these briefings should be provided to the relevant congressional committees in advance of the briefings."

The Senators concluded the letter reiterating their ask for an all-senators briefing on election threats - including efforts to use influence or cyber-enabled means in the upcoming midterms - to be scheduled before June 25, 2026, and requested that all election security intelligence products be made available to appropriate congressional committees and members of Congress as required by law. Padilla, Warner, and Peters also demanded that any underlying intelligence supporting DNI Gabbard's public claims regarding voting system security is shared and that she or her replacement clarify her previous unsupported statements. They further requested the status of ODNI's involvement in apparent domestic investigations into purported election integrity concerns.

As Ranking Member of the Senate Rules Committee with oversight over federal elections, Padilla has been a champion for election security and voting rights. This week, Padilla, along with Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), wrote a letter to Blanche regarding the Administration's alarming election interference, including the Department of Justice's decision to remove the most recent version of the Federal Prosecution of Election Offenses manual from the Department of Justice's (DOJ) website without explanation. Padilla and Warner previously pushed Gabbard and ODNI to coordinate an intelligence community (IC) briefing on foreign election threats and requested a plan for defensive cybersecurity measures ahead of upcoming election cycles. Earlier this year, following unprecedented investigations by ODNI, the Senators also called on Gabbard to immediately schedule an IC briefing for Senators on election security concerns.

Read the full letter here and below:

Secretary Mullin, Director Gabbard, Acting Attorney General Blanche, Director Patel, and General Rudd:

On September 15, 2025, and February 10, 2026, Senators Warner and Padilla wrote to Director Gabbard requesting Intelligence Community briefings for Senators on election security and foreign election threats. On May 8, 2026, the two individuals named as the joint Election Threat Executives briefed some Senate staffers on the Office of the Director of National Intelligence's (ODNI) election security efforts ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Requests for briefings on election security efforts at FBI and CISA have not been fulfilled despite requests - a departure from previous years.

Although we are less than 6 months from the election and less than three months from the start of early voting in several states, ODNI's election security efforts for this election cycle are clearly still in their infancy. Notably, no meaningful steps have been taken to coordinate information sharing and incident response between Executive Branch agencies or to ensure timely information dissemination to election stakeholders such as state and local election officials or to relevant private sector entities. Such inaction is particularly concerning given that the mechanisms and channels previously relied on to share and disseminate information have been decimated by Administration-induced funding and personnel cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). For example, the Administration has ceased funding the Elections Infrastructure Information Sharing and Analysis Center, entirely shutting off support for an entity that helped local election officials prepare for, defend against, and respond to election security threats. Additionally, CISA does not have a plan for fielding election security advisors despite Congress appropriating funding.

Meanwhile, Director Gabbard has not clarified, justified, or abandoned her deeply concerning but wholly unsupported public statements about voting system security. Nor has she explained or justified ODNI's highly unusual investigations regarding purported election integrity. Moreover, despite our requests and multiple statutory requirements, we have not received any intelligence products concerning threats to election security, including any products that could support ongoing investigation into past elections or underly claims about purported voting system insecurity.

In light of our concerns, and consistent with past practice, we request that ODNI, CISA, FBI, and NSA provide regular briefings to congressional staff starting immediately and continuing through the November 2026 midterm elections. These briefings should cover threats to the elections; the Executive Branch's efforts to counter, defend against, and share information about those threats; and any information regarding the security of the November 2025 elections and the 2026 primaries in advance of the general election. Any relevant intelligence products informing these briefings should be provided to the relevant congressional committees in advance of the briefings.

We also reiterate our request for an all-Senators briefing on election threats, including efforts to influence election outcomes through influence or cyber-enabled means. In advance of that briefing, we ask that you make all intelligence products concerning election security threats available to appropriate congressional committees and members of Congress, as required by law. Additionally, if there is any intelligence underlying Director Gabbard's claims regarding supposedly unresolved voting system insecurities or informing any ongoing investigations into past threats or foreign interference, we request that you comply with your legal obligations to share that intelligence. Finally, Director Gabbard or her replacement should come prepared to clarify and explain her public statements regarding voting system security and the status of ODNI's highly unusual and inappropriate involvement in apparently domestic investigations into purported election integrity concerns.

Voting in the congressional primaries is well underway across the nation and the November elections are rapidly approaching. We request that you schedule regular staff briefings immediately and schedule the Senators briefing no later than June 25, 2026.

Sincerely,

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