FBI invites elections officials nationwide to a call on 'preparations' for midterm elections
The FBI has invited elections officials around the country for a call later this month on the agency's "preparations" for the high-stakes midterm elections, according to a letter sent to election officials and reviewed by ABC News.
The letter, which went out earlier this week, states that the FBI call will also include election officials from the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Justice, United States Postal Inspection Service and Election Assistance Commission.
"To prepare for the 2026 US midterm elections, your election partners at the FBI, DOJ, DHS, USPIS, and the EAC would like to invite you to a call where we can discuss our preparations for the cycle, as well as updates and resources we can provide to you and your staff… We look forward to speaking with you in support of the 2026 midterm elections,” FBI staffer Kellie Hardiman, who signed the letter with the title "FBI Election Executive," wrote.
An FBI official told ABC News that the election executive role is not a new role. There have previously been designated executives that serve as the point person to work with elections officials on election-related matters and to speak on behalf of the FBI in that capacity, the FBI official added.
The FBI has conducted outreach to election officials in previous cycles and been a part of federal briefings on them as well, the official added.
The letter went to most election officials in the United States, according to a source familiar with the letter.
The offices of Arizona’s secretary of state and Utah’s lieutenant governor -- the office that oversees elections in that state -- confirmed to ABC News that they are among the offices that received the invite for the briefing, set to be held on Feb. 25.
The letter was first reported by Crooked Media.
Although it's not unusual for government officials to have an election-security dialogue, the invite comes amid President Donald Trump's ongoing false claims of voter fraud and the recent FBI raid of an elections office in Fulton County, Georgia.
The stakes are high for the upcoming midterm elections with the House majority on the line -- as Republicans have a slim majority in the chamber.
ABC News' Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
