Facing Threats and Political Pressure, One in Five U.S. Election Workers May Call It Quits

A new national survey conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law found that one in five U.S. local election officials say they are somewhat or very unlikely to stay in their jobs through the 2024 contest, citing concerns about threats and political pressure fueled by baseless allegations of voter fraud in the last presidential race, reports Reuters.

More than 900 threatening and hostile messages have been sent to election administrators and staff in 17 states, almost all alluding to former President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election.

About one in six election officials reported in the poll that they have been threatened personally, and more than half those cases were not reported to law enforcement. Nearly a third of the respondents said they feel their local government could do more to support them; more than 75 percent said the federal government should do more to support them; and more than three-fourths say social media companies have not done enough to stop the spread of false election information.
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Among the 20 percent of officials who said they are “somewhat unlikely” or “very unlikely” to remain in their posts through the next presidential election, about a third said a key factor in their decision is that “too many political leaders are attacking a system that they know is fair and honest.”