White House Proposal Would Bar Federal Grant Money From Funding Voter Registration Drives

A White House budget office proposal, published in draft form in May 2026 and reported on by ProPublica on September 29, would bar recipients of federal grant money from using those funds for voter registration drives or "related activities." The rule, overseen by OMB Director Russell Vought, would affect more than 50 nonprofits that get roughly $10 million a year in Help America Vote Act funding to help elderly and disabled Americans register and vote, including groups like Disability Rights Nebraska.

A former OMB general counsel called the proposal a "massive across-the-board power grab" conflicting with voter-registration mandates Congress has funded since 2002. The rule would not take effect until after the midterms; neither Vought nor his office responded to ProPublica's questions about it.