Arizona's secretary of state has attacked rising threats against U.S. election officials as domestic terrorism.
"Terrorism is defined as a threat of violence for a political outcome," Adrian Fontes said in remarks recorded for an upcoming episisode of NBC's Meet the Press that were obtained by the Guardian.
"That's what this is, and ... we do have to address it for what it is," Fontes added.
He shared his view during a panel discussin by top election officials from pivotal states, where voters will decide in November whether Joe Biden serves a second term in the White House or Donald Trump returns to the presidency.
In Arizona's largest county, Maricopa, election officials have implemented extensive measures to safeguard staff and ballot counting.
Workers face a relentless barrage of hateful and threatening messages daily via email and social media, fueled by false claims from Trump and his Republican supporters that Biden and Democrats fraudulently won the 2020 presidential election.
Fontes, whose state is battleground territory in the upcoming election, expressed optimism that the Justice Department is ramping up efforts to prosecute threats against election officials.
In March, a Massachusetts man who threatened to blow up Fontes' office in 2021 received more than a three-year prison sentence, one of the most severe federal punishments yet for threats against ballot workers.
"We're collaborating with law enforcement across the country to address these issues," Fontes emphasized.
