Federal judge halts DHS election "field operations" in Pennsylvania through Election Day
The order covers nine states, including Pennsylvania, which an internal DHS memo listed as a target. Here is the background, what state officials have said on the record, and the voting deadlines that haven't changed.
A federal judge has ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to stop election-related field operations in Pennsylvania and eight other states until the polls close on Nov. 3, the Pennsylvania Capital-Star reported.
For Pennsylvania voters, the ruling is about whether federal agents can come to people's homes to ask about their voter status in the final days before the election. It doesn't change how or when anyone votes.
What the court did
Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California issued a preliminary injunction on Oct. 21, according to the States Newsroom report by Stateline's Jonathan Shorman, republished by the CT Mirror. The plaintiffs, including San Francisco, Santa Clara, the California Nurses Association, National Nurses United and the Voto Latino Foundation, alleged that DHS had been sending armed agents to residents' homes to question them about their voter status.
The judge found the evidence created an "objectively reasonable fear of law enforcement entanglements," Stateline reported. The order covers California, Connecticut, Georgia, Missouri, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington and Wisconsin. The judge paused it until Friday, which Stateline said appeared to give the administration time to appeal. Justice Department lawyers representing DHS had argued in court filings that the government has authority to investigate possible noncitizen voting.
An internal Homeland Security Investigations memo dated Aug. 31 described a "surge initiative" starting Sept. 1 that included field interviews, and named Pennsylvania among the six states it targeted, according to Stateline.
The Pennsylvania background
The ruling comes after months of disputes between the state and federal government over Pennsylvania's voter rolls.
In July, DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote to Pennsylvania that a "preliminary review" found there "may be as many as 14,576 non-citizens registered to vote" in the state, Votebeat reported in partnership with Spotlight PA. Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt responded that the federal government had not disclosed its method or data, and he warned about "faulty methodologies that can lead to inaccurate results," according to the same report. A Department of State spokesperson said the federal government still had not shared the list.
Also in July, Gov. Josh Shapiro joined a multistate lawsuit challenging conditions on 2026 Homeland Security Grant Program money. Those conditions would require changes to state election administration, such as submitting voter registration lists to a federal system and changing post-election audits, according to the governor's office. The governor's office said nearly $6 million for Pennsylvania was at stake.
What the legislature has and hasn't done
Election law in Pennsylvania is written by the General Assembly. The House's main voter ID bill, House Bill 771, has been in the House Appropriations Committee since May 12, 2025, according to its bill page. Spotlight PA reported this week that voter ID is among the issues likely to die with the session (Spotlight PA).
What hasn't changed for voters
- Mail ballot applications are due by 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27, according to the Department of State and Spotlight PA.
- Completed mail ballots must reach the county election office by 8 p.m. on Nov. 3. Postmarks don't count.
- Polls are open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Election Day.
What happens next
The administration may appeal; the judge's pause until Friday appeared designed to allow that, Stateline reported. If the order stands, it lasts until polls close on Election Day, according to Stateline.