Federal effort to boost election worker protections fizzles
2 years ago

Federal effort to boost election worker protections fizzles

Associated Press  

ATLANTA — Federal proposals that would have significantly boosted security funding for election offices and heightened penalties for threatening their staff failed to advance this year, leaving state officials looking to their legislatures for support. In Georgia, Republican Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, who faced an onslaught of threats as he withstood pressure from Trump to “find” enough votes to cancel President Joe Biden’s win in the state, said he also would like to see penalties increased on those who threaten election workers. It’s not what America’s about.” Conspiracy theories surrounding the 2020 election prompted a surge in threats and harassment of state and local election officials that persists two years later. “Many have cited this as an important contributor to why they are leaving office,” said Liz Howard, a former Virginia state election official now with the Brennan Center. Sen. Alex Padilla, a Democrat who previously served as California’s secretary of state, called election workers the “backbone of our democracy” and said more must be done to ensure their safety.

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History of this topic

Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense
9 months ago

Arizona expects to be back at the center of election attacks. Its top officials are going on offense

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. The security measures are a …

Maryland bill backed by Gov. Wes Moore seeks to protect election officials from threats
10 months ago

Maryland bill backed by Gov. Wes Moore seeks to protect election officials from threats

Associated Press  

— Maryland lawmakers are considering legislation to enable authorities to prosecute people who threaten to harm election officials or their immediate family members, as threats are on the rise across the country. “It’s a phenomenon that has targeted election workers, regardless of political affiliation, race, gender, what roles their filling.” Ruie Marie LaVoie, who is vice president of the Maryland …

A tide of election worker resignations raises alarms ahead of 2024
1 year, 1 month ago

A tide of election worker resignations raises alarms ahead of 2024

CNN  

CNN — A wave of departures by election officials in key states risks adding new stress to the nation’s election system ahead of next year’s presidential contest, voting rights groups and several state election chiefs warn. In the battleground state of Arizona – which became a hotbed for election falsehoods after Joe Biden flipped the traditional GOP stronghold by a …

Conspiracy theories and 'abusive conduct': Senate hears why election workers are quitting
1 year, 1 month ago

Conspiracy theories and 'abusive conduct': Senate hears why election workers are quitting

Raw Story  

State and local election officials face threats and intimidation, driving experienced workers out of the profession, a panel of election officials told a U.S. Senate committee Wednesday. Democratic and Republican election workers have been the targets of “threats and abusive conduct,” Rules Committee Chair Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, said. “In recent years, election officials have faced both cybersecurity threats …

Column: Election officials are quitting in droves. Here’s why you should care
1 year, 2 months ago

Column: Election officials are quitting in droves. Here’s why you should care

LA Times  

Election workers check ballots at a processing center in Orange County. New research by a political reform group, Issue One, has given us something else to worry about: a troubling exodus of local election officials — those on the front lines fighting for truth, justice and the American way. The latest study suggests it’s now happening — particularly in battleground …

Election workers have gotten death threats and warnings they will be lynched, the US government says
1 year, 3 months ago

Election workers have gotten death threats and warnings they will be lynched, the US government says

Associated Press  

WASHINGTON — More than a dozen people nationally have been charged with threatening election workers by a Justice Department unit trying to stem the tide of violent and graphic threats against people who count and secure the vote. John Keller, the unit’s second in command, said in an interview with The Associated Press that the department hoped its prosecutions would …

Election workers who face frequent harassment see accountability in the latest Georgia charges
1 year, 4 months ago

Election workers who face frequent harassment see accountability in the latest Georgia charges

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Tonya Wichman has overseen elections in a rural Ohio county for eight years and hasn’t experienced any significant problems with voting or counting the ballots. Among many charges, the indictment names several people accused of a harassment campaign that led to death threats against two Atlanta election workers. The indictment charges Trump with making false statements and …

Election workers who face frequent harassment see accountability in the latest Georgia charges
1 year, 4 months ago

Election workers who face frequent harassment see accountability in the latest Georgia charges

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Among many charges, the indictment names several people accused of a harassment campaign that …

Nevada becomes latest to enhance penalties for election worker intimidation after statewide exodus
1 year, 6 months ago

Nevada becomes latest to enhance penalties for election worker intimidation after statewide exodus

Associated Press  

CARSON CITY, Nev. — Those who harass, intimidate or use force on election workers performing their duties in Nevada could soon face up to four years in prison under a new law signed by the Western swing state’s Republican governor on Tuesday. Threats and initimidation of election workers had ramped up significantly in Nevada and across the country amid falsehoods …

False allegations of voter fraud in 2020 led to increased threats against Texas election workers
2 years, 4 months ago

False allegations of voter fraud in 2020 led to increased threats against Texas election workers

Raw Story  

A rise in election-related misinformation has led to increased threats and intimidation of election workers in Texas and other states, according to a report released Thursday by a U.S. House committee. A Texas elections administrator from Tarrant County told the committee there was a social media call to “hang him when convicted for fraud and let his lifeless body hang …

Justice Department details threats against election workers
2 years, 4 months ago

Justice Department details threats against election workers

Associated Press  

The U.S. Justice Department has charged five people for making threats of violence against election workers amid a rising wave of harassment and intimidation tied to the 2020 presidential election, a top official told U.S. senators Wednesday. Assistant Attorney General Kenneth Polite said one charge has led to a conviction so far through a task force launched last year as …

Facing threats, some election workers weigh whether to stay
2 years, 5 months ago

Facing threats, some election workers weigh whether to stay

Associated Press  

— After polls closed in New Mexico’s primary last month, a worker returning ballots and other election materials to the clerk’s office in Santa Fe was followed by a partisan election observer driving so closely that mere inches separated their bumpers. “People are using threats as part of the attack on democracy to try to intimidate election workers, to try …

Threats testimony rings familiar for election workers
2 years, 6 months ago

Threats testimony rings familiar for election workers

Associated Press  

COLUMBUS, Ohio — This week’s gripping testimony to Congress about threats to local election officials after the 2020 presidential election had a rapt audience far beyond Washington — secretaries of state and election clerks across the U.S who said the stories could easily have been their own. Georgia was a center of threats to election officials as Trump and his …

What happens if officials who run elections think they’re rigged?
2 years, 8 months ago

What happens if officials who run elections think they’re rigged?

Raw Story  

Originally published by The 19th Tina Peters says she was just looking into potential election fraud. We can literally name the people who aren’t.” Wednesday’s report by the Bipartisan Policy Center and the group Election Reformers Network examines how most of America’s election officials are chosen through partisan elections or picked by members of political parties — a system that …

Bill to make interfering with election workers a crime OK’d
2 years, 10 months ago

Bill to make interfering with election workers a crime OK’d

Associated Press  

AUGUSTA, Maine — A legislative committee on Monday approved a bill that would make interfering with an election worker a crime — but the amended version no longer makes the crime a felony. The Legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs committee voted unanimously for the bill “Protecting Maine’s elections from interference and subversion, either through election worker intimidation or outside political …

States seek to protect election workers amid growing threats
2 years, 10 months ago

States seek to protect election workers amid growing threats

Associated Press  

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Lawmakers in a handful of states are seeking greater protections for election officials amid growing concerns for their safety after they were targeted by threats of violence following the 2020 presidential election. A caller to the secretary of state’s office said in 2020 that a firing squad would target “all you cheating,” and “a lot of people …

What Happens When Local Officials Can't Run Elections Because Of New GOP Laws
3 years, 1 month ago

What Happens When Local Officials Can't Run Elections Because Of New GOP Laws

Huff Post  

LOADING ERROR LOADING State and local officials took swift action in 2020 to ensure voters could access the polls with mail ballots and alternative voting options in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. These new laws were all inspired by former President Donald Trump’s lie that the successful changes implemented by state and local election officials led to widespread election fraud …

Officials describe threats following 2020 election
3 years, 1 month ago

Officials describe threats following 2020 election

Associated Press  

PHOENIX — Election officials told a congressional committee Tuesday they’ve received graphic threats to their safety since the 2020 election and warned that pressure on election workers is a threat to democracy. Experienced election administrators are increasingly leaving the field as they face unsupported accusations of manipulating election results, a bipartisan group of state election officials told the Senate Rules …

Arizona secretary of state calls for investigation of Trump, Giuliani, state GOP chair over election interference
3 years, 5 months ago

Arizona secretary of state calls for investigation of Trump, Giuliani, state GOP chair over election interference

The Independent  

Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Please try again later {{ /verifyErrors }} The …

Election officials face fines, charges in GOP voting laws
3 years, 7 months ago

Election officials face fines, charges in GOP voting laws

Associated Press  

In 2020, election officials tried to make voting easier and safer amid a global pandemic. “The process could be likewise corrupted by the secretary of state arbitrarily administering the law in a very uneven manner, depending on whether you’re a Democratic county or a Republican county.” Looming fines also could dissuade people from taking jobs as election workers or make …

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