Spurred by a deluge of threats and intimidating behaviour by conspiracy theorists and others upset over former president Donald Trump's 2020 election defeat, some election officials across the United States are fortifying their operations as they ramp up for another divisive election.
A Reuters survey of 30 election offices found that 15 have enhanced security in various ways, from installing panic buttons to hiring extra security guards to holding active-shooter and de-escalation training.
Now those risks are seen as real, said Tammy Patrick, a senior adviser at the Democracy Fund, a non-partisan public-interest group founded by entrepreneur and Democratic donor Pierre Omidyar. "It makes us feel like we're targets, or we're not a priority in the same way our men and women in uniform are. And we're on the front lines of democracy just like they are," said Ammons.
The lingering bitterness from the 2020 election has also spooked many of the temporary workers who check in voters, count ballots and perform other tasks that make elections possible, officials say. Roebuck's office held a three-hour role-playing exercise with local emergency management officials this year to plan how to respond to violent incidents. They also printed a brochure explaining balloting procedures that workers can hand to people to de-escalate confrontations with anyone agressively questioning their work.
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