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A prominent election activist whose research questioned the 2020 election results is now working in an election-related leadership position at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Heather Honey is now listed as a deputy assistant secretary for election integrity, according to an organizational chart on the DHS website. Her hiring was first reported by Democracy Docket. Deputy assistant secretaries are often involved in drafting executive orders and crafting policies, and serve as liaisons to the White House and the National Security Council, ProPublica reported.
Honey has been a prominent figure in the conservative election integrity movement since President Donald Trump lost the 2020 election.
Honey and DHS did not immediately respond to emails from Votebeat requesting comment.
Honey’s work, cited by Trump, concluded there were more votes than voters in Pennsylvania in the November 2020 election, but the Pennsylvania Department of State pushed back on her figure and methodology at the time and told Votebeat the method of analysis is “not an accurate way to reconcile votes cast to the number of voters who participated in any individual election.” Honey has defended her work as accurate. She has filed a lawsuit against Votebeat claiming that its past reporting about her is defamatory.
Public documents reported by the Arizona Republic show Honey’s firm also was a subcontractor for the Cyber Ninjas during the partisan review of Maricopa County’s 2020 ballots ordered by Arizona Senate Republicans.
She led PA Fair Elections, a Pennsylvania group that advocates on elections and is associated with the national Election Integrity Network.
Her appointment comes as state and local officials have repeatedly voiced concerns about cuts and changes to DHS programs to secure elections.
Jen Fifield is a reporter for Votebeat based in Arizona. Contact Jen at jfifield@votebeat.org.
