Mullin Threatens Prison for State Election Officials Over “Mandatory” Security Changes

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials on Friday that they could face imprisonment if they refuse to adopt the Trump administration’s “mandatory” election-security measures. Mullin said states must secure voting machines and “scrub” voter-registration lists to qualify for federal grants and reimbursement. He added that non-compliant states would become a priority for federal scrutiny and that officials would be held accountable.

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California Governor Gavin Newsom responded on social media, asserting that “California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,” and challenged the federal threat with “Try us.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) pledged that “Election officials will not be intimidated” and that Senate Democrats will allocate resources to counter any illegal activity. Senator Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) characterized the threat as an escalation, linking it to prior FBI ballot seizures in Georgia and data-gathering attempts in Fulton County. The watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) announced plans to file legal challenges, emphasizing that the Constitution reserves election administration for the states.

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Legal scholars and policy experts highlighted the administration’s lack of authority. Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, noted that the Department of Homeland Security “has literally zero power to do this,” and that the Trump administration has lost every lawsuit seeking state voter data or altered voter requirements. Historian Patrick Wyman warned that the administration’s approach will “ham-fistedly screw up the implementation” and ultimately fail in the upcoming November elections.

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• “If these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they're going to have to implement security issues,” — Markwayne Mullin

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• “We're saying that your [voting] machines have to be secured and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed.” — Markwayne Mullin

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• “They are losing, and they know it,” — Chuck Schumer

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• “The Constitution gives states, not the federal government, the power to administer elections,” — Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington

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• “The Department of Homeland Security "has literally zero power to do this," Reichlin-Melnick wrote.” — Aaron Reichlin-Melnick

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