Secretary of State Adrian Fontes says he’s coming up with contingency plans should President Donald Trump attempt to seize voting machines or even cancel the upcoming midterm elections.
Speaking at an event in Phoenix hosted by the Atlantic last week, Fontes says he’s responding to multiple comments from Trump telling Reuters "we shouldn't even have a midterm election."
“We’ve got a whole bunch of scenarios that we are playing through so that if somebody tries to cancel something, if somebody tries to take some stuff they are not entitled to, we can go to the courts, get the orders and hopefully have the backup of law enforcement," Fontes said.
White House officials have insisted the president was joking about cancelling the election.
Fontes says he’s coordinating efforts with Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs and Attorney General Kris Mayes.
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Find everything you need to know about elections in Arizona and Maricopa County from KJZZ's politics team.
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