Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson says election threats are now coming from the federal government, but she refuses to comply

Utah Lt. Gov. Deidre Henderson appeared on CBS News’s 60 Minutes and described a shift in the kinds of pressures facing election officials. The Republican said threats that once came from outside the country or from private actors are now also arriving from inside the federal government itself.

Henderson handles Utah’s elections from start to finish. Her duties cover everything from maintaining voter registration rolls to overseeing the final count of ballots on election day. She works in a state that backed President Donald Trump by more than 20 points in the last presidential race.

In her interview with correspondent Leslie Stahl, Henderson drew a clear line between earlier risks and the current ones. “In the past two elections that I oversaw as lieutenant governor, the threats were all external. Non-state actors, cybersecurity threats, and other things. But now we also have threats coming from within our own government,” she said. Stahl followed up by asking, “Your federal government.” Henderson confirmed, “That’s right.”

State election chief declines Justice Department request for detailed voter records

The Justice Department, which has ramped up voter fraud investigation ahead of the midterms, contacted Henderson and election officials in other states last year. It asked for full statewide voter registration lists that contain sensitive personal details. Henderson told the program she had not encountered a request of that kind before and decided against releasing the information.

She explained that the department sought records states are normally required to protect. “They wanted things that we typically are required by law to keep private,” Henderson said. “Social Security numbers, full dates of birth, driver’s license numbers.” Officials provided little clear explanation for the request. Henderson noted that the administration did not give “very good answers” about its purpose, “and we were concerned about what they would do with that data.”

Henderson later received notice that she could face prosecution, and possibly prison, if she knowingly allowed noncitizens to vote in Utah. Stahl pointed out the personal risk by saying, “You could go to prison.” Henderson responded, “We’re not going to prison. No. It’s silly.” When Stahl asked whether she was certain of that outcome, Henderson paused and replied, “Well…”

The Justice Department informed Henderson last month that she is under official investigation. Stahl described the situation as putting the lieutenant governor in direct opposition to the president. Henderson answered that she is simply carrying out her responsibilities. “I’m just doing my job,” she said. She added, “I have to tell myself it doesn’t matter what the consequences are, as long as I feel like I’m doing what’s right.”

President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed widespread voter fraud in U.S. elections, and his administration has moved to restrict mail-in voting and enlist Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in what it calls an effort to protect election integrity. Meanwhile, Democrats and voting rights groups say the steps are meant to tilt the playing field in Republicans’ favor.