Mullin threatens states on election security a day after Trump address

Key Points:

• Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state officials they could lose funding or face investigations if they do not comply with President Trump’s election security demands, intensifying doubts about election integrity ahead of the midterms.
• Mullin claimed the federal government found 250,000 noncitizen voters on rolls in several states, though experts and state officials noted the data used was incomplete and that noncitizen voting is extremely rare.
• Mullin urged states to participate in the expanded SAVE program to audit voter rolls, threatening fines or prison for noncompliance, despite a federal judge recently blocking the program over privacy and wrongful purge concerns.
• Election experts and courts have largely rejected federal demands for sensitive voter data, calling Mullin’s threats illegal and unsupported by law, while Trump’s SAVE Act legislation remains stalled in the Senate.
• While Mullin pledged improved cybersecurity support for elections, the Trump administration has significantly reduced funding and staffing for election security at the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, leading states like Nevada to rely on their own resources.