US threatens election funds over security

Washington, July 18 (AHN) The Trump administration said on Friday that US states could lose federal election funding unless they adopt new security measures, as it raised concerns about non-citizens on voter rolls and vulnerabilities in voting machines ahead of the midterm elections.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said states seeking grants or reimbursement for conducting federal elections would be required to strengthen voting systems and review their registration lists.

“We are not going to spend taxpayer dollars reimbursing a state that is refusing to secure their elections,” Mullin told a news conference.

The administration would provide states with funding, training and information about vulnerabilities, he said. “If you do it, we'll reimburse you. If you don't, we won't.”

Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security had identified 250,000 non-citizens registered to vote in California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada. Another 28,000 non-citizens had been found on voter rolls in 23 states working with the department, he said.

The department had also identified 400,000 deceased people who remained registered, according to Mullin.

He did not say how many of the non-citizens or deceased registrants had cast ballots. Officials were examining the records individually to determine whether they had voted and where, he said.

“We will go through these files one by one and, one, identifying the individual; two, did they vote; and three, where did they vote at?” Mullin said.

The secretary said the department would examine early-voting records and conduct another review after the election. Those found to have voted illegally would be referred for prosecution.

“If you are an illegal or you're voting illegally, we will hunt you down, we will find you and we will prosecute you,” he said.

Mullin also alleged that foreign adversaries could gain access to critical components in US voting machines and alter voter registration information or votes. He said Iran had hacked state voter files and attempted to compromise systems used by military personnel to vote.

The administration was working with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth to protect military voting systems, he said. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency would release an updated election infrastructure plan within 30 days.

Mullin said 23 states were participating in the department’s SAVE programme, which allows officials to check voter rolls. He urged the remaining states to join and described election security as a national security issue that should have bipartisan support.

He also said officials who deliberately withheld intelligence about election vulnerabilities from the public, Congress or the executive branch could face criminal charges or administrative penalties.

Under the US system, state and local authorities administer elections, while the federal government provides security assistance, intelligence and financial support. Eligibility and registration procedures vary by state, although voting in federal elections is restricted to US citizens.