Threats to Election Officials Loom as Another Presidential Election Draws Near
As the 2024 presidential election approaches, election officials across the country are facing increasing threats and harassment. These threats range from threatening phone calls and emails to physical attacks and even threats to their families.
In response, a national effort is underway to train election workers on how to respond to these threats and work with law enforcement to counter them. The constant threats and harassment have contributed to an exodus of election officials across the country.
Tina Barton, a former city clerk who oversaw elections in suburban Detroit, has been on a mission to help election officials stay safe after receiving a threatening voicemail herself.
Since joining the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, Barton has given nearly 100 presentations throughout the country, sharing scenarios that election workers are likely to face and discussing how they and law enforcement can prepare for them.
Barton’s partner in the trainings is Justin Smith, the former sheriff in Larimer County, Colorado, who signed up after hearing directly from local election officials about the onslaught of threats they have faced since 2020.
Smith often speaks directly to the police officers and sheriff’s deputies in the room, explaining the role they play in elections and how the environment has changed since 2020.
In past years, election officials were likely to deal with issues on their own, such as protesters or unruly citizens looking to promote their candidates at polling places.
“It’s not that simple anymore,” Smith tells the group. “We need to be at the table and be part of the solution.”
Barton guides the election officials through various scenarios and encourages them to think through their responses, when it makes sense to alert law enforcement and when to consider releasing information to the public.
She said election offices might deal with everything from threatening emails and phone calls to an AI-generated robocall sent to poll workers telling them to stay home on Election Day.
One of the scenarios Barton presented mirrored events that unfolded in the days immediately after elections last fall, when local election offices in a handful of states received letters in the mail that contained fentanyl, a highly potent synthetic opioid.
The fentanyl example sparked animated conversations among the election workers, as many of them began to understand they were not taking sufficient precautions.
Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said it’s imperative for law enforcement and election officials to work together to ensure a smooth election in November.
Benson said her office has been providing grants to election offices to help them boost security.
The federal government is also engaged in the effort. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency will assess the physical security of local election offices and has written guidance for workers on how to de-escalate tense situations.
Spencer Wood, the federal agency’s regional election security adviser, praised election officials as the “frontline defenders” of the nation’s elections.
Throughout the training, Barton referenced the election officials who have retired or left the profession, citing the stress since the 2020 presidential election.
A survey last year by the Brennan Center for Justice found that about 1 in 5 election workers knew someone who left their election job for safety reasons and nearly three-quarters of local election officials said harassment had increased.
Barton emphasized to the clerks the importance of having access to mental health services.
Some election officials expressed concerns over what they could face in the upcoming election, particularly after Trump held a rally in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he repeated claims that Democrats “cheat in elections.”
Traverse City Clerk Benjamin Marentette said training sessions like the one in Traverse City are crucial to make sure local election offices and law enforcement are communicating.
Grand Traverse County Sheriff Michael D. Shea said he was surprised at how vulnerable election officials can be because of the requirements associated with their job.
Shea said it was understandable to have some concerns about elections, particularly with the use of technology in parts of the voting process, but said he trusted experts and his local election officials.
