Report: Washington's GOP secretary of state expected to take federal election security role

Kim Wyman, Washington's Republican secretary of state, is expected to be named to a major federal election security position by the Biden administration, several people with knowledge of the matter told CNN.

During former President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the election over false claims of widespread voter fraud, Wyman pushed back, saying mail-in ballots are safe. She also was a vocal critic of the GOP-led audit of the 2020 election results in Maricopa County, Arizona, telling CNN in May it was a "sham" and "should alarm every American in the country."

The position Wyman is expected to take on is election security lead for the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. She would serve as a federal liaison to state and local officials who need help protecting election infrastructure from hacking and stopping the spread of voter misinformation.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

The agency's former director, Christopher Krebs, told CNN that he is "really impressed" by the decision to tap Wyman for the role, adding, "Kim doesn't see R or D, red or blue. She's committed to delivering democracy for the nation. Everyone wins here." An official announcement is expected to come once Wyman's administrative paperwork is cleared by the White House, CNN reports.