Getting out to vote is one of the most important things we can stress, whether it’s a federal, state, local, or even school board election. This has always been the case, but as Daily Kos continues to cover, we know Donald Trump’s conspiracy theories about election fraud (specifically about mail-in voting and absentee voting) have stirred both distrust in the integrity of our elections and violence and harassment against poll workers.
In fact, according to a Brennan Center poll, more than 75% of election workers said harassment and threats because of their job have worsened over the last few years, as highlighted by Vanity Fair. About one in six election workers said they’ve received threats because of their work. About three out of ten election workers reported knowing a coworker who quit because of the threats. One out of five respondents said they intend to stop working the polls prior to the 2024 election cycle.
And to be completely clear, this isn’t because people are afraid of nothing or are giving in too easily—thanks to Trump’s extremist misinformation, there’s a whole league of “poll watchers” who are making the experience a living nightmare for folks who volunteer to do this incredibly important work. And during a global pandemic, no less.
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Thanks to data collected from the Elections and Voting Information Center at Reed College and the Democracy Fund, we have some important new numbers to sit with. For context, this survey was conducted between June 21 and Sept. 22, 2022. The survey included more than 900 local election workers, and responses were submitted either by mail or online.
This survey found that close to 40% of election workers intend to quit their position before 2024. Many of those planning to leave said it came down to worries about their personal safety and health, so they’re looking to retire.
Democracy Fund senior adviser Tammy Patrick said in a press conference that the survey basically sums up much of what workers have been saying via word of mouth in recent years. Patrick described election workers as being “under-resourced” and “underappreciated,” and that on top of those factors, they’re also “under attack.”
“The narrative of conspiracy is pervasive,” Patrick continued, per the Oregon Capital Chronicle. “Election officials are having to deal with it in many, many places.”
Close to four out of ten election workers in the Western U.S. said they had been threatened and harassed because of their work. Close to two-thirds of survey respondents said the harassment and attacks felt politically motivated. Attacks were more frequent in large jurisdictions. But small offices report having the biggest increase in work, which might come down to increases in mail-in voting during COVID-19. It could also have to do with the record requests coming in from people who are apparently trying to prove their conspiracy theories aren’t conspiracies. (Basically: A waste of labor for election workers.)
To narrow in on a specific (and recent) example, we can look at the infamous Maricopa County. As reported by Reuters, election workers in the Arizona county have already had to deal with more than 100 violent threats and intimidating communications leading up to midterm elections on Nov. 8, 2022. Between July 11 and Aug. 22 online, for example, a minimum of 140 threats and “hostile communications” were recorded.
The outlet, which says it obtained close to 1,600 pages of documentation per a public records request, says much of the harassment centered on conspiracy theories and came to workers via social media posts, emails, and taking photos of people getting to work.
One such threat, per Reuters, said all county election workers would be “executed,” while another threatened that folks would be “tied” and “dragged by a car.” According to the Independent, a county clerk who is up for reelection in Colorado, Josh Zygielbaum, wears a bulletproof vest most of the days he heads into work.
This is scary stuff, no doubt. And what’s even scarier is how many people want this to be normal. But as long as we can educate and mobilize people, we still have a fighting chance to protect the integrity of all levels of our elections, from local to presidential.
This is it, folks. We need to chase down every last Democratic voter, and calling them on the phone to help them make a plan to vote is key. Volunteer with Swing Left, MoveOn, or Sister District to get out the Democratic vote from the comfort of your home.
At long last, the 2022 midterms are almost here! With the battle for the House front and center, we give you a window into the key races on a final pre-election episode of The Downballot. We discuss a wide range of contests that will offer insight into how the night is going, including top GOP pickup opportunities, second-tier Republican targets, and the seats where Democrats are on offense. And with many vote tallies likely to stretch on for some time, we also identify several bellwether races in states that count quickly.