Escalation: Mullin threatens jail for Arizona election officials

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that state and local election officials who leave noncitizens on the rolls after receiving federal information could face “fines, penalties and even, depending on how far it goes, prison time.” U.S. elections are administered by states, but Mullin said governors and election offices had been put on notice to work with federal authorities.

Two weeks earlier, the Justice Department sent letters to election administrators in all 50 states threatening criminal charges if noncitizens cast ballots or if officials fail to cooperate with federal efforts to verify eligibility. Arizona’s secretary of state, Adrian Fontes, was warned he could face prosecution for aiding and abetting noncitizen voting. The letters pointed to provisions of the National Voter Registration Act dealing with registration fraud and false eligibility information, without identifying a statute aimed at state officials who maintain voter rolls.

Fontes rejected the warning and said his office will follow state law, not political pressure. “Mullin can go suck on a salt lick,” he said.

AI-synthesized from multiple reported sources