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Secretary Noem Delivers Remarks on Election Integrity in Arizona, Sep. 18, 2026

September 18, 2026 · U.S. Department of Homeland Security · 0:17:36

Embedded from the source channel — never re-uploaded. Watch on YouTube

What happened

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem told an Arizona audience that she had met with elected officials, election-security officials and local leaders, naming Maricopa County Recorder Justin Heap, State Representative John Gillette and former assistant Arizona attorney general Jennifer Wright among those present, according to her remarks. She framed election integrity, in her words, as part of keeping the republic, and said republics depend on citizens’ confidence that their votes count.

Noem stated that President Trump has made election integrity a priority since returning to office, that the Constitution gives states primary responsibility for elections while Congress assigns duties to the federal government that sit within her department, and that her responsibility includes identifying vulnerabilities and putting forward mitigation measures for state and local enactment. She stated that earlier that week the House of Representatives passed the SAVE Act, which she described as requiring photo ID to vote in federal elections, proof of citizenship to register, and state removal of non-citizens from voter rolls.

Why it matters

The remarks place the Homeland Security secretary — rather than a state official — at the center of the administration’s election-integrity case in a closely watched Arizona county, with federal legislation as the stated vehicle.

Scoreboard watch

Scoreboard candidate: the Secretary’s statement that the House had passed the SAVE Act earlier that week, with the three requirements as she described them. Flagged for the scoreboard editor; no verdict given here.

Sources: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, “Secretary Noem Delivers Remarks on Election Integrity in Arizona, Sep. 18, 2026”, 2026-09-18 (official upload, embedded above; published 2026-09-18). Transcript via Supadata (private research store, paraphrased and attributed, not republished). All figures and characterizations as stated by the speakers.