New Hampshire Secretary of State David Scanlan described a recent meeting with federal officials about the 2026 midterm elections as routine, despite ongoing tensions between the state and federal government over voter information.
The FBI invited Scanlan and other election officials nationwide to a Feb. 25 virtual meeting to “discuss our preparations” for November’s midterm elections, according to an email obtained by a news outlet. Six federal agencies participated in the call, including the FBI, Department of Homeland Security, Election Assistance Commission, U.S. Department of Justice, and Postal Inspection Service, according to Scanlan.
“I would consider it a routine meeting,” Scanlan said in an interview Thursday. “Usually before an election cycle occurs, it is not unusual for us to have a meeting with what I would call federal partners that offer services or programs, just to help with certain issues.”
Federal officials offered guidance on cybersecurity during the call, and the FBI said it was monitoring for potential risks, though no specific threats were identified, according to Scanlan. “They’re always looking for foreign actors trying to break into our computer systems, misinformation campaigns, things like that,” he said.
The meeting comes as New Hampshire faces a federal lawsuit over its voter rolls. The Trump administration requested voter information from New Hampshire and several other states to verify the accuracy of voter rolls, according to Scanlan. He refused to provide the information, citing New Hampshire state law requiring the voter database remain confidential. The federal government sued New Hampshire and other non-compliant states in September, according to Scanlan.
Scanlan said the legal dispute did not come up during the February meeting with federal officials.
“New Hampshire is independent,” Scanlan said. “This is the streak that we have. And so we don’t rely on the federal government for our election systems. We do it in-house. So regardless of what happens with federal agencies, New Hampshire is going to conduct a good, solid election, just like we always do.”
Not all state election officials shared Scanlan’s assessment of the federal meeting. Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat also running for state attorney general, said after the same meeting that the Trump administration has “lost credibility” on election issues, according to Colorado Newsline. This follows President Donald Trump’s calls to “nationalize” elections in some states, despite the Constitution establishing a decentralized system where states run elections.
Scanlan called Griswold’s claims “partisan” messaging. “She has been a critic of Trump as long as she’s been secretary of state,” he said. “So that’s no surprise to me.”
During the meeting, California Secretary of State Shirley Weber asked whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement would have a presence at polling places, according to Scanlan. Department of Homeland Security officials told participants there would not be an ICE presence at polling places on Election Day, he said.
Scanlan said he was not concerned about potential federal agents at New Hampshire polling places. “If they do show up, we’ll be prepared to deal with that,” he said. “If there are just people from the federal government there that are observing, they’re going to be treated no different than any other citizen that wants to go in and see how a polling place operates.”
However, Scanlan indicated a different response would be required if armed federal personnel appeared at polling sites, though he did not elaborate on what that response would entail.
Despite the routine nature of the meeting, according to Scanlan, it highlighted ongoing tensions between state and federal authorities over election oversight as the 2026 midterms approach. New Hampshire maintains its independent approach to election administration while navigating federal legal challenges and security concerns.
