Markwayne Mullin warns states of potential prison time for failing to verify non-citizen voters on registration rolls

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned state election officials on Friday that they could face prison time and fines if they fail to comply with the administration's methods for identifying non-citizens on voter rolls. Following a primetime speech by President Trump, Mullin asserted that the Department of Homeland Security has identified more than 250,000 non-citizens registered to vote across California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Nevada. The administration is pushing states to use a centralized federal database to verify citizenship, though some officials have expressed skepticism regarding the methodology. While the administration claims these figures are significant, many state secretaries of state noted that non-citizen voting remains extremely rare. Mullin also threatened to withhold federal grants from states that do not collaborate with the federal government to secure election data. These efforts are part of a broader push by the administration to increase federal oversight of the electoral system and ensure that only eligible citizens cast ballots.

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