DHS threatens ‘prison time’ for states that don’t cooperate on Trump’s election goals

States that work with President Trump to clean up their voter rolls can get more taxpayer money to help do it, but those that refuse could face fines and penalties and, if they ignore evidence of noncitizens on their lists, the administration is threatening “prison time” for their leaders.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin delivered the carrot and stick on Friday, a day after Mr. Trump proclaimed the country’s voting systems “shockingly” derelict.

Mr. Mullin said some states’ voting machines are vulnerable to manipulation by foreign enemies, and the states must work to patch their systems.

He said his department’s cybersecurity agency will release guidance to help the states later this summer and will condition future election grants on states making the fixes.

He also told states to work with DHS to scrub their voter lists to delete names of dead voters and noncitizens.

For states that don’t cooperate, he said his department will try to review the public data and spot bogus names on their lists — and it will review their records after the election to see what happened.

“We will go through those records one by one, and we will pursue everybody,” he told reporters.

He said penalties to the states could include financial penalties or “even, depending on how far it goes, prison time.”

Like Mr. Trump before him, Mr. Mullin said the goal isn’t to rehash the 2020 election or scare voters, but to build confidence in voting moving forward.

“We’re not trying to change the outcome; we’re trying to make sure the American people can trust our voting system,” the secretary said.

On the threat to voting machines, Mr. Mullin said the government has proof that foreign adversaries have ways of accessing U.S. systems.

“We know that they can change voter registration and your vote,” he said. “We know it’s possible. It’s not a question. It’s not even for debate.”