Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced Friday that states could lose federal election-related aid and face potential criminal penalties if they do not comply with the administration's directives regarding voter roll accuracy and election system security.
Mullin stated that states seeking federal reimbursement for running federal elections must cooperate with the DHS's efforts to "scrub" their voter rolls and update the security of their election systems. "We're saying that the machines had to be secure, and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed," Mullin said during a news conference.
The secretary indicated that non-compliant states could face the withholding of Federal Emergency Management Agency counterterrorism grants, among other funding, if they do not meet the election security mandates. "If states want the grant funding, to recap, they must secure the election," Mullin said.
Mullin's remarks followed President Donald Trump's primetime speech on election security, during which Trump announced the declassification of documents he claims expose vulnerabilities in U.S. election systems and evidence of foreign interference, particularly from China.
The DHS secretary asserted that adversaries possess access to American voting machines and could potentially alter voter registrations or manipulate cast votes. However, Mullin did not present evidence of foreign vote manipulation or elaborate on how such actions are possible.
He also echoed Trump's concerns about noncitizen voters appearing on voter rolls. A DHS report released recently alleges that more than 250,000 noncitizens are registered to vote across California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada, based on public voter records. The notes do not specify how DHS arrived at this number.
Mullin stated that the DHS will continue to examine voter rolls for noncitizens and other ineligible voters. He warned that individuals found to have voted illegally or attempted to vote illegally could face penalties of up to five years in prison and $250,000 in fines. "We will pursue maximum pressure on this," he said.
Election officials who do not comply with DHS directives after receiving the necessary information to secure their elections could also be held accountable through fines, penalties, and potentially prison time, Mullin added. The DHS intends to scrutinize the integrity of both early voting and post-election day tallies in the upcoming midterm elections.