Multi-State Ballot Seizures Mark Unprecedented Escalation in Federal Election Oversight

Federal and state law enforcement has seized hundreds of thousands of ballots and election records across five states since January 2026, targeting both 2020 and 2024 elections. The FBI seized 600 boxes from Fulton County, Georgia; the Justice Department obtained 2020 ballot images from Arizona and demanded 2024 records from Michigan; Ohio received federal voter-record requests; California's sheriff seized over 650,000 ballots. The scope exceeds typical federal election-crime investigations, prompting litigation and resistance from affected jurisdictions over control of election administration.