States Warn Officials: Delay, Tamper Votes, Face Criminal Charges
Photo: Reuters/Jonathan Drake
WASHINGTON, DC (REUTERS) – Some U.S. states are sending strong signals to county and local officials who might be tempted to intervene illegally in the November 5 election or refuse to certify results: Fail to do your duty and risk criminal charges or hefty financial penalties.
In at least five of the seven battleground states that could determine whether the next U.S. president is Democrat Kamala Harris or Republican Donald Trump, top election and law enforcement officials have investigated, indicted and even jailed officials who tried to interfere with the vote or delay certification of results, a necessary but largely ceremonial step.
County officials have also been warned that failing to certify results on time could force their local governments to foot the bill for unnecessary audits or recounts.
The increased oversight of local election officials is aimed at preventing unfounded claims of fraud from slowing the certification of election results, which in turn could interfere with Congress’s certification of the presidential election results in a highly charged partisan atmosphere.
Four years after Trump tried to overturn his 2020 defeat, officials in swing states Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, as well as in solidly Democratic Colorado, said they have become far more adept at handling those who overstep their authority.
With Trump still repeating false claims that the 2020 election was stolen and that he will lose in November only through fraud, ensuring the election process goes smoothly in each state is critical. States that fail to certify results by certain deadlines could be left out of the state-by-state Electoral College process that formally determines the winners of U.S. presidential elections.
“The law is clear, and we won’t tolerate anyone not following it for any reason,” Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said in an interview. “There are times and places for challenging election results. The certification process is not one of them.”
Pennsylvania State Attorney General Michelle Henry, a former Republican appointed to her role last year by the state’s Democratic governor, said “We certainly are ready,” Henry said. “Should anyone not comply with the statutes, we will investigate that and there will be consequences … There’s both criminal and civil actions that could be taken to maintain the integrity of the process.”
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, said his office would enforce election laws. “It’s our expectation that election officials will follow the law,” Kaul said in an interview. “But if we receive concerns that that won’t be the case, we’re prepared to act.”
Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes and Attorney General Kris Mayes have made it clear publicly that state election laws will be enforced going forward.
“We have spoken very clearly with clerks and chief judges in these jurisdictions about what the process should be and the speed with which they should act,” Fontes told reporters. “I don’t anticipate any of these shenanigans.”
Nearly a year ago, Mayes also warned supervisors in Mohave County not to violate state law by directing the local election board to count 2024 results by hand instead by voting machine. In a letter, she said the supervisors could be held liable for the cost of the illegal hand count and face felony and misdemeanor charges.
