1. United States
2. Ariz.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to oppose any attempt to federalize state and local election systems. President Trump's recent statements calling for federal control over elections in "at least many, 15 places" represent a direct threat to constitutional governance and the foundational principle that states administer their own elections. In an NBC interview on Wednesday, Trump claimed without evidence that Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta have "extremely corrupt" elections. These are cities that Joe Biden won in 2020. Trump suggested implementing "federal controls as opposed to state controls" in certain areas. On Monday, he told Dan Bongino that "Republicans ought to nationalize the voting." Steve Bannon escalated this rhetoric by calling for ICE agents to surround polling sites in November and suggesting Trump invoke the Insurrection Act to deploy the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions. These proposals are unconstitutional. The Constitution grants states the authority to conduct elections. Federal takeover of voting processes in cities that voted against Trump would undermine the legitimacy of our entire electoral system and set a dangerous precedent for future administrations of any party. The administration is already conducting unprecedented investigations. Last week, the FBI conducted an unannounced search of the Fulton County elections office in Georgia, seizing hundreds of boxes of 2020 election documents. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard was present at this search and oversaw an investigation in May into electronic voting machines in Puerto Rico, which voted overwhelmingly for Biden. No evidence of hacking or interference was found in Puerto Rico. I need you to publicly oppose any legislation or executive action that would place federal control over state election systems. Speak out against the deployment of federal law enforcement or military personnel to polling sites. Defend the constitutional authority of states to administer their own elections. Our democracy depends on your willingness to stand against these proposals regardless of party loyalty.