This DHS Official Oversees the Security of Federal Elections. He Wants to Ban Voting Machines.

David Harvilicz, the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary who sets policy on protecting election infrastructure including voting machines, has called for banning voting machines in federal elections and co-founded a company with James Penrose, who helped push debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. Harvilicz was appointed to the DHS role around July and has posted on social media that "DHS needs to ban voting machines for all federal elections," while his team has been facilitating Trump administration efforts to scour voter rolls for noncitizens. Election experts and current DHS officials say his position is concerning given the administration's unprecedented steps to relitigate 2020 election claims, including the FBI's seizure of voting records from Fulton County, Georgia. Harvilicz's team includes Heather Honey, previously a leader in the Election Integrity Network that has challenged American election systems, and officials worry he could help the administration gain control of voting machines if Republicans lose seats in upcoming midterms. Current DHS officials say it would be "super easy for them to get the voting machines" and describe results as they want if they don't like election outcomes.