Colorado will bar federal officials from its election Cyber Command Center this fall, as state and local officials prepare for the midterms amid a worsening dispute over the federal government’s role in election administration. Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat, said concern about federal involvement has become a major risk for Colorado’s election operations. The state’s National Guard activates the command center each election to help defend election infrastructure against cyber threats. “Our number one risk at this point is the federal government,” Griswold said. The dispute comes as officials continue to prepare for threats including bomb threats at polling places, disinformation campaigns and hacking efforts backed by foreign governments. Election officials from both parties say the strained federal-state relationship is adding to those longstanding security challenges. The Department of Homeland Security reportedly identified Colorado among 15 states to monitor this summer for vulnerabilities in election integrity. Colorado’s decision to exclude federal personnel from its command center reflects the distrust Griswold described, even as states face threats that can cross borders and require coordination. States hold primary responsibility for administering elections under the Constitution. The Trump administration has spent much of the past two years pressing to change the U.S. election system and voter registration, adding to tensions with state officials over who should oversee the process. For voters, the conflict raises a practical question ahead of Election Day: whether state and federal authorities can coordinate on security without disputing who controls the machinery of the vote.