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erronis

(23,638 posts) Sat Mar 14, 2026, 02:22 PM 12 hrs ago

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

Source: ProPublica

David Harvilicz, who co-founded a firm with a 2020 election denier, oversees voting machine security for the Department of Homeland Security while the Trump administration is relitigating the president's baseless claims that the 2020 vote was stolen.

In his top post at the Department of Homeland Security, David Harvilicz sets policy on protecting the nation's elections infrastructure, including voting machines.

He's also the co-founder of a company with James Penrose, who helped hatch debunked conspiracy theories blaming hacked voting machines for Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. Penrose assisted in a push to seize voting machines to overturn Trump's defeat.

On social media, Harvilicz has called for doing away with voting machines, saying they are "eminently vulnerable to exploitation." In a March post, he wrote that "DHS needs to ban voting machines for all federal elections. The time is now." He also has repeatedly questioned the validity of Democratic electoral victories and pushed for Republicans to overhaul electoral systems to their advantage.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/david-harvilicz-homeland-security-voting-machines

15 replies

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This DHS Official Oversees the Security of Federal Elections. He Wants to Ban Voting Machines. (Original Post) erronis 12 hrs ago OP

Another excerpt from the ProPublica article erronis 12 hrs ago #1

He has zero authority to force the states to do anything. Nt Fiendish Thingy 12 hrs ago #2

I have to ask this here. bluestarone 7 hrs ago #6

Many states have already enacted voter suppression laws Fiendish Thingy 7 hrs ago #10

Trump bossed the GOP around for 4 years when he wasn't the Prez, so if he believes he won he must resign by years end. GreenWave 12 hrs ago #3

...and replace the voting machines with what? RussBLib 11 hrs ago #4

as trumpie said, "Don't worry, you won't have to vote anymore." erronis 8 hrs ago #5

THIS!! I've always wanted to bring this up again. bluestarone 7 hrs ago #7

They're not replacing them with anything. Because they can't. paleotn 7 hrs ago #9

Oh, please. Fed agencies can advise. They do not oversee even Federal election administration. That's a state matter. paleotn 7 hrs ago #8

Don't you agree, though, that voting machines suck? I don't trust them an inch. Paper, verifiable ballots all the way. somaticexperiencing 6 hrs ago #11

i agree the machines suck. i don't trust them either. paper ballots are the best way to go nt orleans 3 hrs ago #13

a number of years ago dems were in favor of banning voting machines orleans 3 hrs ago #12

Yep 😊 Figarosmom 3 hrs ago #15

I didn't want the machines to begin with. The old lever Figarosmom 3 hrs ago #14

erronis

(23,638 posts)

1. Another excerpt from the ProPublica article

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 02:26 PM

12 hrs ago

In his top post at the Department of Homeland Security, David Harvilicz sets policy on protecting the nation's elections infrastructure, including voting machines.

He's also the co-founder of a company with James Penrose, who helped hatch debunked conspiracy theories blaming hacked voting machines for Donald Trump's loss in the 2020 presidential election. Penrose assisted in a push to seize voting machines to overturn Trump's defeat.

On social media, Harvilicz has called for doing away with voting machines, saying they are "eminently vulnerable to exploitation." In a March post, he wrote that "DHS needs to ban voting machines for all federal elections. The time is now." He also has repeatedly questioned the validity of Democratic electoral victories and pushed for Republicans to overhaul electoral systems to their advantage.

. . .

Penrose, a former intelligence officer, played a leading role in the campaign to help Trump in his failed bid to overturn the 2020 election, ProPublica has reported. Penrose also participated in multiple attempts to clandestinely seize voting machines, including in Michigan, where prosecutors accused him of breaking into some of the machines. (Penrose wasn't charged in the case.) He appeared to be an unindicted co-conspirator in the failed Georgia prosecution in which Trump was accused of conspiring to overturn the election results, according to The Washington Post.

Fiendish Thingy

(22,960 posts)

2. He has zero authority to force the states to do anything. Nt

Reply to erronis (Reply #1)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 02:46 PM

12 hrs ago

bluestarone

(22,047 posts)

6. I have to ask this here.

Reply to Fiendish Thingy (Reply #2)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:16 PM

7 hrs ago

States decide their own laws, so what if say half the states, (rethug states of course) decide to do just what TSF boys want to do, Then what would happen?

Fiendish Thingy

(22,960 posts)

10. Many states have already enacted voter suppression laws

Reply to bluestarone (Reply #6)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 08:08 PM

7 hrs ago

But they can’t cancel the elections in their states- the federal ones are mandated by the constitution, and the state ones by law or the state constitution.

Any laws or regulations they do pass are subject to challenge in court.

If the red states make it too hard to vote, they will disenfranchise more of their voters than ours- that’s why they don’t want to pass the SAVE act.

GreenWave

(12,598 posts)

3. Trump bossed the GOP around for 4 years when he wasn't the Prez, so if he believes he won he must resign by years end.

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 02:47 PM

12 hrs ago

10 years max. We must count the years when the GOP obeyed his every insanity.

RussBLib

(10,584 posts)

4. ...and replace the voting machines with what?

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 03:38 PM

11 hrs ago

…trained monkeys? MAGA loyalists?

GTFOH

erronis

(23,638 posts)

5. as trumpie said, "Don't worry, you won't have to vote anymore."

Reply to RussBLib (Reply #4)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:08 PM

8 hrs ago

bluestarone

(22,047 posts)

7. THIS!! I've always wanted to bring this up again.

Reply to erronis (Reply #5)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:19 PM

7 hrs ago

paleotn

(22,125 posts)

9. They're not replacing them with anything. Because they can't.

Reply to RussBLib (Reply #4)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:40 PM

7 hrs ago

paleotn

(22,125 posts)

8. Oh, please. Fed agencies can advise. They do not oversee even Federal election administration. That's a state matter.

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 07:28 PM

7 hrs ago

That's state legislatures. Constitutionally, only Congress can intervene nationally, not the Executive Branch. Other than what's prescribed constitutionally or by congressional act, it's states who make these decisions. NOT DHS. If what the author states is really a problem right now, then why the SAVE Act? It would be irrelevant. If the author wants something to worry about, then perhaps the SAVE Act is a better target. Interestingly, they don't even mention it. Weird.

Is it just me or is reporting on the left getting really, really sloppy. We're getting the same fear mongering BS so prevalent on the right.

https://statecourtreport.org/our-work/analysis-opinion/states-not-president-run-elections-america
https://www.ncsl.org/state-legislatures-news/details/the-states-decide-how-elections-are-run

somaticexperiencing

(593 posts)

11. Don't you agree, though, that voting machines suck? I don't trust them an inch. Paper, verifiable ballots all the way.

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 09:11 PM

6 hrs ago

orleans

(36,857 posts)

13. i agree the machines suck. i don't trust them either. paper ballots are the best way to go nt

Reply to somaticexperiencing (Reply #11)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 11:44 PM

3 hrs ago

orleans

(36,857 posts)

12. a number of years ago dems were in favor of banning voting machines

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sat Mar 14, 2026, 11:42 PM

3 hrs ago

votes were flipped in republican's favor and we wanted paper ballots where votes could have a hand recount.

i don't get what all the dust up is about oh republicans now want to ban voting machines. i haven't voted on one of those fucking things in YEARS.

doesn't anyone remember diebold? undervotes? ES&S? those mysterious "patches"?

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10022560634

Figarosmom

(11,570 posts)

15. Yep 😊

Reply to orleans (Reply #12)

Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:02 AM

3 hrs ago

Figarosmom

(11,570 posts)

14. I didn't want the machines to begin with. The old lever

Reply to erronis (Original post)

Sun Mar 15, 2026, 12:01 AM

3 hrs ago

Booths were good and easy and as far as I know we're not a problem. Then Bush passed the "Help America Vote Act" which brought in all the different electronic machines. They are a REPUBLICAN idea to begin with. So we said okay and used them knowing they were not all that secure with proprietary code that only the companies knew. And the companies owned by repubs.We still won with Obama twice. But then repubs got the majority so they added IDs to vote. We got the damn IDs and when Biden won all of a sudden THAT'S not good enough either.

So now they want more IDs, hate to tell them but if they pass SAVE our side will be more able to get the added docs or already have them, not yours.

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