House Homeland Security Committee Ranking Member Mike Rogers (AL-3) announced Friday that Alabama Secretary of State John Merrill will testify at the committee’s hearing regarding election security on Tuesday.
Rogers said in a statement that Merrill will be testifying “so that committee members can hear about what Alabama has been doing to keep its elections secure and to engage in a proactive discussion about how the federal government can help states keep their elections safe in the future.”
“Republicans and Democrats agree: election security is essential to our democracy,” Rogers advised. “But let’s not forget, the Constitution leaves the primary responsibility of administering elections to the states.”
I am honored to be invited by @RepMikeRogersAL to testify before the @HomelandGOP in Congress on Tuesday morning in Washington DC! He knows how important it is to ensure that local elections are administered by local officials! I look forward to representing our state next week! pic.twitter.com/Oqbv5Tm8gF
— John Merrill (@JohnHMerrill) February 8, 2019
Merrill is scheduled to be on the second of two panels during the committee proceedings. The first panel begins at 9:30 a.m. EST Tuesday.
The Homeland Security Committee has jurisdiction over the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees critical infrastructure – including elections infrastructure. DHS provides threat information, fosters coordination between the election community and DHS officials and, if requested, cybersecurity assistance and sensors to detect malicious activity.
The hearing will be broadcast live online here.
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
