Alex Padilla: “Election security and ballot access should not be mutually exclusive. They should not be mutually exclusive.”

Any DOJ action that could spoil an election would be one of the most serious constitutional violations imaginable.

Their only hope for trying to maintain any sense of power is to interfere. It’s to change the rules. It’s to rig the elections.

This incident is a stark reminder of the very real danger facing those who serve the public and who help administer our elections in the face of increasingly hostile political rhetoric.

The 2026 midterm elections have begun. We urge you to immediately reaffirm that the Department will forgo any actions that would interfere with the lawful administration of the 2026 elections.