Following the 2020 election, anti-democracy actors have organized an ongoing campaign of disinformation to undermine election results, obstruct local election administration, and create doubt and uncertainty about the vote-counting process. As a result, devoted election workers have come under direct attack; a recent
survey revealed that one in six election workers reported receiving threats. Election officials nationwide have resigned in response in order to protect their personal safety, no longer feeling equipped to maintain the integrity of our democracy.This week for Courier, our Strategic Research Director Lindsey Miller detailed how anti-democracy actors continuously undermine elections and threaten public servants, ultimately driving resignations of experienced officials and leaving election deniers poised to fill the void.
Below are key excerpts from the piece highlighting why the numerous resignations of election officials is alarming, and what we can do moving forward. You can read the full op-ed here.
“As a result of this toxicity, we’re seeing resignations, early retirements, and even attempts at recalls because officials refuse to bend the law. A registrar in Nevada was driven out by election deniers. The elections director in Arizona’s Cochise County resigned after defending midterm ballots from those seeking to overturn the will of voters. Officials have decided that working to ensure the smooth functioning of our democracy is no longer worth the toll in this new, hostile landscape.”
“Since 2019, Pennsylvania has lost a whopping 293 combined years’ worth of experience overseeing elections from departing officials. And where there once were only conspiracy theories falsely threatening the accuracy of our elections, this widespread loss of expertise creates a real vulnerability in our ability to carry out the democratic process.”
“Experienced officials and election workers make sure that the small human errors that happen every election don’t snowball into a crisis amplified on the 6 o’clock news, which then becomes the seed of the next election denial conspiracy theory, as we saw recently in Northampton County, Penn. And most critically, they work to ensure that no voter’s trip to the polls ends in disenfranchisement.”
“Perhaps even worse than the risks posed by an overreliance on inexperienced election workers is the problem caused when election deniers themselves fill the vacancies, and bring with them an intent to disrupt the process.”
“In 2024, [Informing Democracy] will continue to review election officials’ records to uncover those who are not committed to a free and fair election and publish our findings so pro-democracy groups can be prepared to combat any attempts to sabotage the vote-counting process after polls close in November. Election deniers are poised to fill the void these experienced officials are leaving, but we will uncover them.”
“If you want to help ensure that every vote—regardless of who it is for—is cast and counted, and the rightful winner seated, one of the most important things you can do is become involved in your local election process. Opportunities range from being a poll worker on Election Day to running for local office. Each plays a vital role in ensuring our fellow Americans’ voices are heard at the ballot box.”