David Harvilicz, the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for cyber, infrastructure, risk and resilience policy, oversees the security of federal elections. He has also called for banning voting machines in all federal elections.
Harvilicz was appointed to the DHS role around July 2025, taking on a position that shapes policy for protecting the nation's critical infrastructure, including election systems. He is currently detailed to the Defense Department.
What the Left Is Saying
Democrats and voting rights advocates have raised alarms about Harvilicz's background. Danielle Lang, vice president for voting rights and the rule of law at the Campaign Legal Center, said his appointment undermines public confidence in elections. 'The security of our election infrastructure depends on leadership that is trusted, impartial and grounded in evidence — not individuals who have promoted conspiracy theories about the very systems they are now responsible for protecting,' Lang said.
The DNC has been pursuing FOIA requests seeking records related to federal election activities, with DOJ official Harmeet Dhillon dismissing the party's legal challenge as frivolous. The party has accused the administration of hiding information about potential federal deployments at polling places.
What the Right Is Saying
Harvilicz's supporters argue that concerns about election security are valid and that his technical expertise makes him qualified for the role. DHS, in a general statement, said the agency and its employees are 'focused on keeping our elections safe, secure, and free' and that appointees work to implement the president's policies.
Harvilicz has publicly stated that voting machines are 'eminently vulnerable to exploitation' and called for DHS to ban them for all federal elections. He has also questioned the validity of Democratic electoral victories and pushed for Republican-led overhauls to electoral systems.
What the Numbers Show
Harvilicz's team at DHS includes Heather Honey, deputy assistant secretary of election integrity, who previously led the Election Integrity Network, a conservative group that has challenged the legitimacy of American election systems. Also reporting to Harvilicz is Samantha Anderson, a data specialist who worked to elect Trump through the America First Policy Institute.
The administration has taken several actions related to election infrastructure, including the FBI's seizure of 2020 voting records from Fulton County, Georgia, and a team working for Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard taking custody of voting machines used in Puerto Rico in 2020.
The Bottom Line
Harvilicz's dual role — overseeing election security policy while having publicly called for banning the very systems he now helps protect — represents a conflict of interest that concerns election experts. His co-founding of a company with James Penrose, who promoted debunked conspiracy theories about hacked voting machines, adds to the concerns. With Republicans potentially seeking to challenge future election results, analysts say Harvilicz's position gives him significant influence over how election cybersecurity is described to the public and administration leaders.