Arizona leader warns threats against election officials are domestic terrorism as 2024 fears grow

Arizona's secretary of state warned that threats against elections officials in the United States is a form of domestic terrorism, his comments coming as fears over violence surrounding the 2024 election grow.

“One of the ways that I have been looking at this and addressing this is telling the really hard truth, and that is this: Threats against elections officials in the United States of America is domestic terrorism,” Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes said during a roundtable discussion on "Meet the Press" on Sunday

He noted that terrorism is defined as a threat or violence for a political outcome.

“That’s what this is,” he added.

Fontes joined moderator Kristen Welker along with three other secretaries of state from electoral battleground states: Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, Pennsylvania Secretary of State Al Schmidt, and Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson, to discuss the presidential election. All four secretaries said they have received threats, which have also targeted their families and loved ones.

“We welcome people to ask us questions. We welcome people to serve as election workers themselves so they can see up close just how secure our elections are and how many layers of security we have to ensure that only valid citizens are voting and that we count every ballot,” Benson said.

“The offshoot of all of this, however, as my colleague Sec. Fontes has alluded to, are the threats that come to the everyday elections officials that are just trying to do our job.”

While concerns about non-citizens voting have spiked in recent election, experts note that it's extremely rare. Former President Donald Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., have supported legislation aimed at preventing non-citizens from voting, which is already not allowed on the federal level. No state currently permits non-citizens to vote in state-level elections either.

Three out of four election officials say threats have increased in recent years and one in six has been threatened, according to a Brennan Center for Justice survey in March 2022. More than half the election officials said they are concerned the threats will make it difficult to retain and recruit election workers, the survey found.

AI could sow chaos?

Officials aren't only concerned about violent threats impacting races this fall.

Fontes also shared a video created with the help of artificial intelligence by his office to show how new technology could be used to promote misinformation and disinformation regarding elections.

The video contained an AI generated likeness of the Arizona secretary that was eerily similar to and nearly indistinguishable from the real person.

Polling shows an anxious public ahead of November elections

Welker noted that, along with the presidential contest, voters will cast their ballots for 11 governors, 34 U.S. senators, all 435 members of the House of Representatives, along with dozens of statewide ballot measures and thousands of state and local elected officials in November.

She also noted that 81% of voters surveyed across party lines have said that democracy is under threat, according to a poll conducted by Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics in March.

More than half of voters surveyed in swing states by Bloomberg in May said they were worried about political violence during or following the election. According to a poll conducted by Quinnipiac in March, about 32% of voters surveyed said they are “not so confident” or “not at all confident” that the votes will be counted accurately in November.

However, election officials are confident that the 2024 election will be free from widespread fraud.

"We have to also protect the people who protect democracy," Benson said Sunday.

Contributing: Bart Jansen, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Threats against election officials are domestic terrorism: AZ leader