Overview

• DHS’ leadership chart lists Heather Honey as deputy assistant secretary for election integrity in the Office of Strategy, Policy and Plans, a position not shown on earlier archived charts, and neither DHS nor Honey has outlined her responsibilities.
• Honey previously promoted disputed analyses of 2020 election data, including the false claim that Pennsylvania had more votes than voters later echoed by Trump, and she worked on Arizona’s Maricopa County review criticized for errors and bias.
• She has close ties to conservative lawyer Cleta Mitchell and was reported to have helped push Georgia rule changes designed to enable post‑election challenges by local officials.
• Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and election‑security researcher David Becker say the hire, coupled with cuts to CISA and DOJ programs, could erode trust and discourage states from sharing sensitive information with DHS.
• ProPublica reports Honey began last week and that the administration has floated curbing mail ballots and voting machines and, according to NPR, threatened to withhold some DHS preparedness grants over voting rules, raising questions about the office’s direction.