The Trump administration is ramping up pressure on states to change their voting practices, threatening to withhold some federal funding from states that don’t comply and warning state election officials that they face arrest if they don’t remove noncitizens from voter rolls.

Justice Department Warns Election Officials

In letters sent to election officials for all 50 states and the District of Columbia, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division said they and other election administrators could face criminal charges if they knowingly allow nonvoters to vote or remain on voting rolls.

The letter also warns that anyone who knowingly and willfully gives false information in registering to vote or voting would face criminal prosecution. The administration is also using antiterrorism grants to push for changes in voting practices, with 20% of grants for states and urban areas to be withheld until they comply with certain election-related requirements.

Response from States

Some states are pushing back against the administration’s actions, while others are defending them. The response appears to be breaking along party lines, with Democratic secretaries of state accusing the Justice Department of making threats without evidence and Republican secretaries of state defending the administration’s actions as a reminder of their legal obligation to ensure election integrity.

Original reporting: Texarkana Gazette — read the source article.