{"id":1029,"date":"2026-07-18T15:36:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T15:36:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1029"},"modified":"2026-07-18T15:36:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T15:36:17","slug":"dhs-chief-threatens-to-imprison-election-officials-who-dont-comply-with-trump","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1029","title":{"rendered":"DHS Chief Threatens to Imprison Election Officials Who Don\u2019t Comply With Trump"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<!-- begin partial\/series-card --><\/p>\n<div>\n<div>\n<p><i><span>Support justice-driven, accurate and transparent news \u2014 make a <\/span><\/i><i><span>quick donation<\/span><\/i><i><span> to Truthout today!\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1027\">US-Israeli Bombing Has Harmed Iran\u2019s Wildlife, Farms, and Water Supply<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>US Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday threatened state election officials with prison time if they do not comply with the Trump administration\u2019s \u201cmandatory\u201d changes to how they run their elections.<\/p>\n<p>During a press conference, Mullin said that the Trump administration was making so-called \u201csecurity enhancements\u201d to US elections \u201cmandatory,\u201d adding that any uncooperative states will be penalized.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they\u2019re going to have to implement security issues,\u201d Mullin said. \u201cWe\u2019re saying that your [voting] machines have to be secured and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Later in the press conference, Mullin elaborated further on penalties states could face if they didn\u2019t \u201cscrub\u201d their voter rolls to the administration\u2019s specifications.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe states that choose\u2026 not to participate in securing the elections, we will make sure we make those states a priority to look into who voted in their states, and hold then the election officials accountable,\u201d he said. \u201cIf the election officials, once we gave them the information they need to secure their elections, and they chose not to, then those individuals can also be held accountable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Mullin added that this accountability can come \u201cby fines, by penalties, and even, depending on how far it goes, prison time.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Mullin says that election officials in states that don\u2019t cooperate with the Trump administration may face jail time pic.twitter.com\/FvIaKmTEdc<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) July 17, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Article 1, Section 4 of the United States Constitution explicitly gives states the power to run their own elections, while granting the US Congress the authority to implement federal regulations if needed.<\/p>\n<p>The executive branch of the federal government is given no role in the administration and regulation of elections.<\/p>\n<p>Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom reacted to Mullin\u2019s threats of jail time for election officials with defiance.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1025\">Calls Grow for Accountability From Fossil Fuel Executives Amid Climate-Fueled Fires<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cCalifornia has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,\u201d Newsom wrote in a social media post. \u201cTry us.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) similarly vowed to fight the administration\u2019s efforts to meddle in the elections.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey are losing, and they know it,\u201d Schumer wrote. \u201cElection officials will not be intimidated. Senate Democrats will make sure resources are in place to fight back against any illegal activity by the Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) warned that Mullin\u2019s Friday statements appear to be an escalation in the administration\u2019s tactics.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFirst, they sent the FBI to seize ballots in Georgia,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThen, they tried to get data on election workers in Fulton County. Now, they\u2019re threatening to imprison election officials. This is escalating quickly. Every single American should be alarmed.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Government watchdog Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington also indicated it would file legal challenges to the administration\u2019s efforts to take over the elections process.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Constitution gives states, not the federal government, the power to administer elections,\u201d the group wrote. \u201cThat\u2019s for a good reason, but the Trump admin keeps trying and failing to grab power anyway. We\u2019re fighting back in court.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, expressed skepticism that the Trump White House\u2019s election meddling would be successful.<\/p>\n<p>The Department of Homeland Security \u201chas literally zero power to do this,\u201d Reichlin-Melnick wrote. \u201cThe Trump admin has lost every single lawsuit on their efforts to get state voter data or change voter requirements. The power to administer elections is given to the states.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Historian Patrick Wyman similarly predicted the administration\u2019s efforts would end in failure.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019re going to threaten this stuff, they\u2019ll ham-fistedly screw up the implementation, commit seven atrocities, and still lose every election that matters in November,\u201d Wyman wrote. \u201cWe\u2019re now nearing the \u2018fuck you, do it, see what happens\u2019 stage of this confrontation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/smartmovinghome.com\/?p=1023\">As Trump Targets Trans Women in Washington Prisons, Amber Kim Awaits a Court\u2019s Verdict<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A government watchdog indicated it would file legal challenges to the administration\u2019s efforts to take over elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1028,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1029","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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