Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has requested that the Department of Justice investigate the reliability of certain voting machines and the operations of a multistate voter registration database ahead of the 2026 midterm elections.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Todd Blanche, Mullin sought an inquiry into ballot-marking devices, a type of voting machine that prints ballots from a touchscreen interface featuring both text and bar or QR codes. These printed ballots are then scanned by separate machines for tabulation. Mullin questioned whether these devices provide a “reliable record for a manual audit” and asked the Justice Department to ensure their compliance with federal law. Critics of the machines have raised concerns over the potential for digital codes to be hacked or manipulated, though election security experts note there have been no documented instances of such tampering in U.S. elections. These devices are widely used in states including Georgia and South Carolina, where former President Donald Trump has won elections.
Mullin’s letter also called for scrutiny of the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC), a consortium of nearly 30 states that shares voter registration data to help maintain accurate voter rolls and prevent voters from casting ballots in multiple jurisdictions. Originally regarded as a bipartisan effort to improve election integrity, ERIC has become a target of conservative criticism and conspiracy theories, leading to the withdrawal of nine Republican-led states following the 2020 election.
The letter implied that previous requests for investigation were made under Mullin’s predecessor, Kristi Noem, who was removed from her position in March. Mullin’s communication to Blanche, confirmed as attorney general last month, appears to signal an initiative to prompt action on these issues less than two months before the upcoming midterms.
The Department of Homeland Security declined further comment beyond acknowledging Mullin’s letter.
Mullin’s concerns echo longstanding claims by Trump, who has repeatedly criticized electronic voting systems as vulnerable to manipulation. After returning to the White House in January 2025, Trump issued an executive order addressing the security of voting machines that rely on barcodes and QR codes, a point Mullin cited. Trump reiterated these claims during a prime-time speech in July 2026, referencing declassified intelligence materials and alleging ties between voting technology companies like Smartmatic and foreign governments. However, intelligence analyses acknowledge only limited capabilities for election manipulation within Venezuela and found no evidence that such companies could influence U.S. elections.
Although Mullin’s letter did not mention Smartmatic directly, it referenced concerns raised last winter about vulnerabilities in machines produced by Dominion Voting Systems—now operating as Liberty Vote—which have also been the subject of widespread conspiracy theories.
Regarding ERIC, Mullin expressed particular concern about the sharing of “protected motor vehicle data” with the Center for Election Innovation and Research, a nonprofit group focused on election integrity. The letter suggested this might contravene federal privacy laws. The center is led by David Becker, a former Justice Department attorney and ERIC co-founder, who has been critical of the Trump administration’s election-related interventions. Becker refuted Mullin’s assertions on Friday, stating the data sharing cited likely pertained to research conducted over five years ago and denied ongoing receipt of motor vehicle or voter data by his organization.
The controversy surrounding ERIC and ballot-marking devices underscores ongoing tensions within the U.S. over election security and voter integrity, with supporters citing robust safeguards and critics raising concerns about transparency and vulnerability.