The attorney general of the United States, Merrick Garland, had a reminder for the American people in remarks before a recent meeting of the Justice Department’s Election Threats Task Force: “The public servants who administer elections must be able to do their jobs without fearing for their safety or that of their family.”
The task force is a relatively new effort created to address the hostility that has been a perennial part of the job for many election officials since the 2020 presidential election.
It shouldn’t have to exist at all.
A recent survey by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU Law found that 38% of local election officials have experienced abuse, threats or harassment because of their job. And more than a quarter are concerned about their family or loved ones being harassed or threatened. It’s no surprise then that many local election officials are leaving the job – according to the survey, nearly one in four will be administering their first presidential election this year.
This cause is deeply personal, especially for Gwen. As a former county commissioner in Colorado, she knows firsthand what it’s like to be a public official whose life is disrupted because of threats and harassment – having people pounding on her front door at night, getting online death threats and other harrowing experiences.
Through her work with Western Leaders Network and Appalachian Leaders Network, she now engages with more than 1,000 local, state and tribal officials, many of whom have faced threats, harassment and abuse in recent years. We can’t afford to normalize this behavior or lose the institutional knowledge of honest, competent election officials who are being intimidated from their positions.
When you’re facing this kind of abuse and hostility, it’s critical to have people in your corner standing up and speaking out. Election officials are our neighbors and friends, and they deserve our help and support.
So what can be done to protect the people who make democracy run?
Notably the vast majority of local election officials are taking action.
Since the 2020 election, 92% of local election officials have taken steps to strengthen security for voters, election workers and election infrastructure, including updating emergency response plans, enhancing the physical security of election offices and polling places and more.
At the state level, lawmakers can enact more robust measures to safeguard against intimidation of voters and election workers, including passing restrictions against firearms at election-related locations such as polling places and drop boxes. Michigan’s Legislature recently has taken that step, and new laws have been enacted in Colorado, Vermont and New Mexico. States also can pass laws protecting the personal identifiable information of election officials, similar to measures often in place for judges or other public-facing roles.
Lawmakers at all levels of government can support election officials with the funding they need to bolster training and make investments in security, staffing and supplies. Additional resources help election officials prepare for and defend against the range of challenges they face on the job.
People across all political affiliations can come together to support those who are running our elections by writing a letter to the editor or attending an informational open house sponsored by their election official. Everyone has the power to help combat election disinformation by getting their election-related information directly from reputable sources – like their election officials, their county’s Board of Elections, or their state’s secretary of state office – and sharing that information with friends, family members and neighbors.
Election officials are answering a noble calling, ensuring all eligible voters can make their voices heard on Election Day. We all have a democratic right to be curious and ask questions about public processes, but our election officials and public servants – like all of us – deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
The free, fair and secure elections that are a bedrock of American democracy depend on election officials being able to do that job without fear and intimidation.
Gwen Lachelt is a former La Plata County commissioner (2012-20) and the founder and CEO of Western Leaders Network. Alice Clapman is a senior counsel for the Brennan Center’s Voting Rights Program.