Harassment of election workers

Threats, harassment of election workers has risen, poll shows

In response to safety concerns, local election officials are increasingly leaving their jobs.

By CHRISTINE ZHU

More than a third of surveyed local election officials have experienced threats, harassment or abuse due to their jobs, according to a new poll released Wednesday.

The 38 percent of local election officials who reported mistreatment in the poll from the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law marks an 8 percentage point uptick from the survey’s 2023 edition. The most common manner of receiving these threats occurred in person or over the phone.

Poll workers and their colleagues aren’t only worried about themselves — about a quarter of those surveyed said they’re concerned about their family or loved ones receiving threats or harassment in future elections.

In response to safety concerns, local election officials are leaving their jobs. Twenty-seven percent of respondents said they know one or two local election officials who have resigned over concerns about their well-being, almost a 10 percentage point increase from the 18 percent who said the same in 2023.

The high turnover seems likely to continue. Almost a quarter of local election officials will work their first presidential election in 2024, and 20 percent said they’re unlikely to continue serving in the 2026 midterms.

Sixty-two percent of respondents also voiced concerns about political leaders engaging in efforts to interfere in how election officials do their jobs.

It’s a charged issue this election season, as prosecutors in former President Donald Trump’s ongoing criminal trial aim to convince jurors that hush money was “election interference.” Trump has also been indicted in two election interference cases, one at the federal level and one in Georgia, for his actions following the 2020 general election.

The Brennan Center for Justice conducted the poll from Feb. 23 to March 28 with 928 respondents. There is a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.