Trump administration demands oversight of states’ voter rolls

WASHINGTON —

The Trump administration is demanding states tighten their voter rolls or face consequences. The warning follows President Donald Trump’s primetime address on election security Thursday night, where he made claims about vulnerabilities in the nation’s voting systems.

Now, the Department of Homeland Security is taking action, demanding states turn over voter rolls and identify non-citizens allegedly registered to vote, warning that failure to comply could result in losing federal grant money and, in some cases, criminal prosecution.

An important note: some jurisdictions allow non-citizens to vote in local elections, but not federal ones.

“If you are an illegal, or you’re voting illegally, we will hunt you down. We will find you. And we will prosecute you,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a news conference Friday.

In his Thursday speech, Trump ordered the release of dozens of heavily redacted documents, claiming proof of vulnerabilities in U.S. elections and foreign interference, specifically from China, during the 2020 election.

However, a review of the documents shows no evidence that votes or election results were impacted. Several of the president’s claims have been previously refuted, according to election experts.

“The public should have confidence that election offices have multiple safeguards in place,” Carolina Lopez, executive director of the Partnership of Large Election Jurisdictions, said. “We’re talking accurate voter registration records as one layer of election security. There’s also additional safeguards from voter check-in procedures to how ballots are processed upon return to post-election audits and canvassing.”

And from Democrat to Republican, local election officials across the country continue to emphasize security in their voting processes.

“Our elections have never been more secure,” Secretary of State Sarah Copeland Hanzas, D-Vermont, said. “We have been under this scrutiny for six years, and we know that we have one day to get it right. States across the country are focused on securing our elections.”

“There is no evidence whatsoever of widespread voter fraud happening, whether it’s by noncitizens or people voting more than once,” Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, R-Pennsylvania, said.

Election officials say they follow consistent and up-to-date protocols, including a series of checks and balances, to ensure the accuracy of information and votes.

In more of his Thursday night address, Trump also declassified and released documents claiming China had interfered in the 2020 election, including what he called “the largest compromise of election data in history,” involving 220 million U.S. voter files.

However, documents note that voter registration information is publicly available for download from commercial websites, a practice election experts say is fairly common.

The president also tied much of his speech to the SAVE America Act, a bill currently stalled in Congress. The legislation would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and an ID to cast a ballot. Critics argue the bill would limit access to voting.

As of now, the bill lacks the 60 votes needed to pass in the Senate, requiring bipartisan support. A special budget reconciliation process, which would allow passage strictly along party lines, is also being considered.

Watch more coverage on the president’s primetime address: