Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin put states on notice Friday, warning that cooperation with DHS election security requirements will be tied directly to federal funding.
“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to work or to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security issues,” he said.
The proposed requirements would cover key election safeguards, including steps to secure voting machines and ensure voter registration lists are cleared of non-citizens, deceased voters and others who are not legally eligible to cast ballots.
Mullin was specifically pointing to $1 billion in taxpayer-funded security grants available to state, Tribal Nation, territorial and local governments. The Department of Homeland Security has discretion over how those funds are distributed.
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Several states have already received warnings from federal officials about election security concerns.
DHS sent letters to California, New Jersey, Nevada and Pennsylvania, alerting officials that thousands of non-citizens were listed on their voter rolls.
“We’re not trying to change the outcome. We’re trying to make sure that American people can trust our voting system,” Mullin said, describing the goal of the election security measures.
Mullin was following up on President Trump’s address to the nation on Thursday night where the president claimed China interfered in the 2020 election because Beijing didn’t want him to spend a second term in office.
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Trump also used his remarks to push for passage of the Save America Act. The legislation would require Americans to prove their citizenship when registering to vote and to show photo identification.
The president, however, has added a host of other provisions to the legislation, including a section to ban most mail voting, banning transgender women and girls from competing in women’s and girls’ sports, and restricting transgender medical treamtments for minors.
The legislation has passed the House of Representatives but is stuck in the Senate.
Senate Majority Leader John Thune says he doesn’t have 60 votes necessary to move the bill through the legislative process and some of that resistance is from Republicans.
Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) has been vocal in his opposition, arguing states do not have time to implement its measures before November’s midterm election.
“I will use every device I have available to slow down the wheels of government until people cop a clue and do the math,” Tillis said Wednesday on the Senate floor.
“What we’re going to do if we continue down this path is to convince the American people that you can’t count on your election results,” he noted. “And that is dangerous. That is irresponsible.”
Trump argues the Save America Act is essential for protecting elections.
“Our elections were left vulnerable to being rigged and stolen, and the trust of the American people was lost. This cannot be allowed to continue,” he said Thursday night.
Mullin expressed sympathy for Thune’s predicament.
“John is a good friend of mine,” Mullin, a former senator, said. “I think the Save Act should be passed tomorrow. I think it should have already been passed. There’s no excuse for it not being passed. However, he has a vote problem.”
Mullin noted Thune supported the Save America Act but can’t control individual senators.
“Everybody controls their own card,” he said.
