A U.S. Department of Justice official sent Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes a letter on Tuesday threatening to prosecute election officials if noncitizens are found on the voter rolls.
Arizona is one of multiple states who received similar letters.
The letter, from Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Harmeet Dhillon, states that election officials, including Fontes himself, could be prosecuted for “aiding and abetting the violation” of any provisions that exist to prevent noncitizens from voting.
“Please respond to this letter within five days informing us how the state of Arizona intends to ensure it is complying with these federal laws both at the state and local level and how the Department can assist in those efforts,” Dhillon wrote.
Fontes, a Democrat, said Arizona already has the strongest voter eligibility check in the country and election officials are doing their jobs diligently.
He said it’s insulting for Dhillon to suggest otherwise.
“I will stand behind every one of our county recorders and all of our county elections officials if the Department of Justice decides if they want to go the wrong way and be enemies to the folks who are actually running our elections instead of being partners for the benefit of Arizona's voters,” Fontes said in a video statement.
Fontes asked that Dhillon and the federal government provide his office with more resources rather than make threats.
Unlike other states, Arizona requires voters to provide documentary proof of identity when registering to vote and at the polls on Election Day if they vote in person.
There is no evidence that noncitizen voting is a widespread issue in Arizona.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The story has been updated to correct what Arizona requires to provide when registering to vote and at the polls.
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