Markwayne Mullin warns state officials of potential penalties for failing to adopt the administration's expanded SAVE system for voter verification.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced on Friday that state officials could face funding losses, fines, or even prosecution if they fail to comply with the administration's demands to update voter rolls. This follows a primetime address by President Trump, who highlighted the need for more restrictive voting laws and raised concerns regarding the legitimacy of U.S. elections. Mullin specifically urged states to utilize the overhauled SAVE system to identify the 250,000 non-citizens he claims are currently registered to vote in California, Nevada, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. However, several state officials, including Nevada Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar, expressed skepticism regarding the methodology. Aguilar dismissed the administration's figures as "wildly speculative," noting that the federal government has yet to provide supporting data. While the administration seeks to nationalize election oversight, many experts argue that the Constitution grants states primary control over the process. Critics, including David Becker of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, suggested that Mullin’s threats are largely hollow because several federal judges have already ruled that the government cannot legally demand access to sensitive state voter data.

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