DHS Considers Special Declaration to Take Charge of Presidential Election

"There's a vital national interest" in our election process.

8.31.2016 

 

News

 

 Tiffany Gabbay 

 

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Citing so-called security concerns, the Department of Homeland Security is considering a special declaration to take control of the 2016 presidential elections.

Recent concerns over hacking and potential compromises to polling stations and ballots around the country are apparently what have prompted the department's consideration.

DHS could declare the presidential campaign as part of the country's "critical infrastructure," thus justifying a take-over of the process. The Washington Examiner reports: 

Even before the FBI identified new cyber attacks on two separate state election boards, the Department of Homeland Security began considering declaring the election a "critical infrastructure," giving it the same control over security it has over Wall Street and and the electric power grid.

The latest admissions of attacks could speed up that effort possibly including the upcoming presidential election, according to officials.

"We should carefully consider whether our election system, our election process, is critical infrastructure like the financial sector, like the power grid," Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said.

"There's a vital national interest in our election process, so I do think we need to consider whether it should be considered by my department and others critical infrastructure," he said at media conference earlier this month hosted by the Christian Science Monitor.

DHS has a vital security role in 16 areas of critical infrastructure and they provide a model for what the department and Johnson could have in mind for the election.

The video posted above features Johnson's comments on the matter.

Of course, the implications of a federal take-over of our campaign and election process are are disturbing to say the least. As the American Thinker's Rick Moran put it: 

A federal takeover of elections presents an enormous challenge and one big roadblock; it's unconstitutional. Of course, that's actually a small matter for the Obama administration which views the constitution as something to be gotten around, not followed.

On a positive note, however, Moran notes that even if DHS were to get involved to the degree it seeks to, states "will still have a great deal of control over the process, leaving DHS with a reduced role - something little more than an advisory capacity."

Let's hope it doesn't come to that, and if it does, that Moran is right.