Mullin asserts dead people 'somehow voted' as he defends DHS election records review

WASHINGTON, DC: Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on Friday, July 17, announced the department’s intention to enhance election security efforts ahead of the midterms in 2026, saying the department will scrub all the election data soon after voting.

The development comes only hours after President Donald Trump’s prime-time speech on Thursday night, where he questioned the fairness of the poll system and alleged that the 2020 presidential election was rigged.

Markwayne Mullin pledges post-election voter eligibility review

During his announcement on Friday, Markwayne Mullin said the administration will look for ineligible voters and those who “somehow voted, but they were deceased,” indicating the huge election interference.

“After the election, we will scrub all the election records looking for illegal aliens and those who are ineligible to vote, including those who somehow voted, yet they were deceased,” Mullin said, talking about the upcoming election surveillance by the federal government.

Mullin further warned illegal residents against attempting to vote in elections.

“If you are illegal and attempted to vote or you tried to vote illegally for someone else, we will find you, and we will charge you,” he added.

DHS ties election grants to security measures

Mullin said the Department of Homeland Security would proactively examine and review voter records after Election Day and continue investigating alleged election irregularities in states that decline to cooperate with federal election security initiatives.

"We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant, and they want to be reimbursed to run federal elections, they're going to have to implement security measures," he said.

He added that states would be expected to secure voting machines and regularly scrub voter registration rolls to remove ineligible voters and non-citizens.

Trump alleges foreign threats to US elections

President Trump delivered a White House address focused on election security, as he continues to insist that the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.

Parts of his speech touched on allegations that China accessed US voter data and tried to influence the 2020 election, and alleged voting machine vulnerabilities.

Mullin also claimed Iran previously hacked state voter files and attempted to compromise systems used by military voters, arguing the administration must strengthen protections before ballots are cast.

The speech comes as Trump presses Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, a bill that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote, among other changes.