Washington DHS chief threatens states over election aid
PUBLISHED Jul 17, 2026, 9:07 PM ET
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned on Friday that states could lose federal election-related funding if they do not cooperate with a new federal probe into voter rolls and election system security ahead of the midterm elections. Mullin said continued reimbursement for running federal elections would be tied to participating in efforts to “scrub” voter registration lists and verify voting machine security. He also raised the possibility of criminal penalties for noncompliant election officials. Mullin cited a DHS report alleging more than 250,000 noncitizens on voter rolls in four states but offered no supporting evidence or methodological details.
By James Porter | JQJO News
Timeline of Events
- March 24 Mullin sworn in DHS secretary
- Thursday Trump delivers primetime election security speech
- Thursday Trump announces declassification of election documents
- Overnight DHS releases noncitizen voter rolls report
- Friday Mullin holds DHS election security news conference
- Friday Mullin threatens to withdraw federal election reimbursements
- Friday Mullin raises potential criminal penalties discussion
News Intelligence
- Your vote counts. DHS wants to ensure that. They're checking voter rolls and election systems. If your state doesn't cooperate, it could lose federal election funding. This might affect how smoothly your voting process goes.
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