Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is turning up the pressure on state election officials. The day after former President Donald Trump’s prime-time address on elections, Mullin warned of penalties for officials who don’t cooperate with new federal checks and urged a group of states to review their voter lists for possible noncitizens. Fox News reported that Mullin singled out California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania and said the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) believes there may be registrations in those states belonging to noncitizens. The Associated Press, in a separate piece on the same enforcement push, described Mullin’s threat of penalties for state officials who refuse to share data with DHS.
According to Fox News, Mullin said states that refuse the administration’s election-security requirements could lose certain federal dollars. He also tied new election-security conditions to grants under FEMA’s Homeland Security Grant Program. In the same briefing, Fox News reported, Mullin promoted DHS’s expanded program that lets state officials compare voter records against federal immigration databases and said some states are participating. He added that the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has said it plans to release an updated election-infrastructure plan soon.
AP News reported that Mullin also warned of potential fines or other penalties for election officials who don’t comply. AP noted that a federal judge has blocked DHS’s updated verification system for now, citing voter-privacy concerns and the risk of wrongly removing eligible voters. AP’s account underscored that Mullin’s remarks came as Trump amplified his claims about election vulnerabilities in a nationally televised speech.
Fox News said Mullin’s press conference followed Trump’s address and that the secretary urged every state to join DHS’s program to help vet voter rolls. The outlet also reported that he pressed Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a Republican-backed bill that would add federal voter ID and proof-of-citizenship rules. AP focused on the enforcement message and the court order limiting DHS’s use of its updated verification system. The two outlets differ in emphasis — Fox News highlighted the four named states and funding pressure, while AP stressed the legal and civil-liberties questions now hanging over DHS’s plan — but both describe a sharper federal posture toward state-run election systems ahead of the midterms.
Why it matters
For local election offices, this is about time and money. States could face new paperwork, legal fights, and potential hits to federal grant funding if they don’t follow DHS’s guidance. For voters, the mix of new checks and an ongoing court fight means rules around list maintenance and verification could change again before ballots are cast. Staying plugged into guidance from your state and county election offices will help you know what to expect.