The Justice Department sent letters to election officials in all 50 states on Thursday threatening possible lawsuits if they failed to preserve election records, an unusually aggressive stance toward election officials in the days leading up to the midterms.
The seemingly identical letters signed by the Acting Deputy Attorney General Trent McCotter threatened “up to a year in prison and a $1,000 fine” for election officials who fail to follow record-keeping laws.
“To protect the right to vote and maintain public confidence in our democratic process, Congress requires election officials to preserve election records,” he wrote in his letters. “I am writing to remind you of this obligation.”
Election officials in more than a dozen states confirmed receiving the letter to POLITICO. The DOJ said it sent letters to all states before a court filing its ongoing lawsuit Friday against Democratic groups, which are suing the DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security and the president. Donald Trump accusing them of interfering with state election administration.
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