Utah Republican election chief’s stark warning: Threats to the midterms are now coming from ‘within our own government’

Utah’s Republican lieutenant governor, Deidre Henderson, says threats to the US midterm elections are now coming from within the federal government, putting her at odds with President Donald Trump and his allies. She says she is defending safeguards over elections as the administration presses states for voter data and seeks tighter controls on voting.

Henderson told CBS that Utah audits found 52 questionable voting incidents among more than two million ballots cast. She has refused to give the Justice Department voter records containing sensitive personal details, joining 28 other states that declined similar requests and were later sued. Trump has also signed two executive orders on voter registration and sought to federalise mail-in voting, moves that state leaders say raise constitutional concerns.