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U.S. NEWS Friday 4 February 2022

States seek to protect election workers amid growing threats

By LISA RATHKE and CHRIS- can, and sending sexual-
TINA A. CASSIDY ized threats to Raffensperg-
Associated Press er's wife.
MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — At the federal level, an
Lawmakers in a handful of election threats task force
states are seeking greater within the U.S. Department
protections for election of- of Justice has reviewed
ficials amid growing con- more than 850 reports
cerns for their safety after of threats to election of-
they were targeted by ficials, Assistant Attorney
threats of violence follow- General Kenneth Polite
ing the 2020 presidential said. Two people have
election. been charged with fed-
Widespread threats against eral crimes for threatening
those who oversee elec- election workers, including
tions, from secretaries of a Texas man charged with
state to county clerks and threatening to kill govern-
even poll workers, soared ment officials in Georgia af-
after former President Don- ter the 2020 election. Polite
ald Trump and his allies said the department also
spread false claims about has dozens of open investi-
the outcome of the presi- gations.
dential election. "Corrupt Arizona Secretary of State
secretaries will all hang Lead by a Georgia State Trooper, Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, center, exits Katie Hobbs, a Democrat,
when the stolen election the Georgia State Capitol building after hearing reports of threats, Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in said it's imperative that ha-
is revealed" is just one ex- Atlanta. rassers face prosecution.
ample of the vitriol that has Associated Press "Unless people are held ac-
come from social media, countable, this kind of be-
emails and phone mes- officials commissioned by dos said. claims led to a "deluge havior is going to continue,"
sages. the Brennan Center last A bill in Maine would make of intimidation, harass- she said.
Even in Vermont, where April found one in three felt threats against election of- ment, and threats that has In October, a congressio-
the outcome wasn't disput- unsafe because of their job ficials a class C felony, after forced them to change nal committee heard from
ed, election workers have and one in six said they had threats to two local clerks in their phone numbers, de- election officials about
faced threats. A caller to been threatened. Trump 2021. lete their online accounts, graphic threats to their
the secretary of state's of- has continued to promote "The message has to be and fear for their physical safety since the 2020 elec-
fice said in 2020 that a firing his false claims that the loud and clear that this is safety." tion.
squad would target "all you election was stolen from a threat to our democra- In the weeks following Legislation also was in-
cheating (vulgarity)," and him, despite no evidence cy," said Democratic Rep. the election, a top Geor- troduced by a group of
"a lot of people are going of the type of widespread Bruce White, the sponsor. gia elections official con- Democrats in the U.S. Sen-
to get executed." fraud that would be need- "Threatening people who demned the onslaught ate last year that would

To counter the threats, law- ed to question the out- work our elections is entirely of threats and called on make it a federal crime for
makers have introduced come, in which President unacceptable." Trump to rein in his sup- any person to intimidate
bills so far in Vermont and Joe Biden won by more In the immediate aftermath porters. At the time, Trump or threaten an election
several other states, in- than 7 million votes. of the 2020 election, New was claiming "massive worker. It became part of a
cluding Illinois, Maine, New One bill under consider- Mexico Secretary of State voter fraud" in the state larger effort by Democrats
Mexico and Washington, ation in Vermont would Maggie Toulouse Oliver, a and people were driving to create federal standards
all of which have legisla- expand the definition of Democrat, left her home for in caravans past the home for voting and restore a
tures controlled by Demo- criminal threatening to weeks as a safety precau- of Secretary of State Brad key provision of the Voting
crats. Much of the legisla- make it easier to prosecute tion in response to secu- Raffensperger, a Republi- Rights Act.q
tion would create or boost those acts. Another would rity concerns. A Democrat-
criminal liability for threats heighten the penalty for sponsored bill introduced
and, in Illinois, for assaults the criminal threatening last month expands the
against election workers. of election officials, public felony crime of intimidation
More legislation is possible, employees and public ser- to include acts against em-
as election officials warn vants. ployees and agents of the
that the ongoing attacks During a recent legisla- secretary of state, county
endanger democracy and tive committee hearing, clerks and municipal clerks.
that many election workers Condos described how Supporters of the legislation
have quit or are consider- the threatening calls had said expanding protections
ing doing so because of scared one staffer to the to all election office work-
the abuse they have faced point that he was afraid to ers is important because
since the 2020 election. leave work and walk to his threats haven't been lim-
"Nationally, we are see- vehicle. He eventually took ited to top-level staff.
ing longtime experienced time off and sought coun- In Fulton County, Georgia,
election leaders and their seling for symptoms associ- two election office work-
staffs leaving their positions ated with post-traumatic ers — one a temporary em-
for other work because stress. ployee — filed a lawsuit in
they've had it — this is it, this "No election official should December against a con-
has crossed the line," said ever need to fear for their servative website, accus-
Vermont Secretary of State life for their role in serving ing it of spreading false sto-
Jim Condos, a Democrat. our country's democracy in ries about them.
A survey of local election this or any election," Con- Their lawsuit said the false