COLUMBUS – Ohio’s top elections official is sending a letter to Congressional leaders, urging them to clarify how and when the federal government can take control of how states run elections in the event of an emergency.
“The federal government has a lot of ‘mission creep’ as it relates to elections in this country,“ Secretary of State Jon Husted explained to reporters on Thursday.
Husted’s action followed a conference call last month with U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, who hinted that the Obama administration was considering a review of state elections systems that could result in them being declared “critical infrastructure” – like banks and stock exchanges — under the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which allows the federal government to exercise some control to prevent hacking or other acts in the event of a cyber-attack or some other incident.
“Instead of building voter confidence, I can think of few actions that would undermine confidence in elections more than a federal intervention of this magnitude.” – Ohio Secy. of State Jon Husted
Husted called the idea an “unprecedented overstep” by Washington and, while federal officials have since backed off of the plan, he believes the regulations are too ambiguous.
“All I’m asking them to is clarify it in law,” he said.
Without such action, he says he fears future administrations could take over state elections and voting systems.
“I am not suggesting that Secretary Johnson or DHS has anything other than honorable intentions and a sincere desire to ensure our nation’s elections are secure,” Husted wrote in the letter. “But one day, this federal power could be used for far less honorable purposes or without authorization from state elections officials.”
In the letter, he asks Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Speaker Paul Ryan to take action ahead of the next federal election cycle.