Since the 2020 election, there has been a growing mistrust between voters and electoral systems, and the people caught in the crossfire of the political violence are poll workers and local election officers.
Examples of intimidation tactics and harassment of election workers include threatening phone calls, harassing election administrators and their family members and protestors showing up near polling stations with weapons.
Three out of four election workers have reported that threats against them have increased, and the rise in threats has caused many election administrators to consider early retirement. The Brennan Center reports that more than three in five have been threatened in person. However, this number could be higher because nearly 45% of total threats have gone unreported.
According to Election Division Manager of Washington County, Dan Forester, training in de-escalation and emotionality is a common practice within the county. Still, there has been a rise in electoral skepticism, and the county partners with law enforcement to support during elections.
Forester accounts for many challenging conversations around the skepticism of electoral reform in recent years; however, the de-escalation training has been helpful. He explained that live-streaming the election could be a little problematic due to the little context given to the procedure, which can lead to more frustration and confusion.
After the 2023 elections, many election offices, including many in Oregon, received suspicious envelopes containing threatening messages and white powder containing traces of fentanyl.
The Lane County Elections office was one of the offices that received a letter with fentanyl-laced powder, causing it to close for the day. In an interview with the AP news, Devon Ashbridge, the spokeswoman for the Lane County Elections office in Eugene, said, “Someone attempted to terrorize our elections staff, and that’s not okay.”
Lane County Clerk Dena Dawson had her own experience with increased threats to election workers.
“The threatening letters, the nasty notes on ballots [and] the following you home when you’re picking up ballots at drop boxes because there’s distrust. In Nevada, my name was on a list of traitors because I was an election official,” Dawson said. “ … Ever since 2016 to post 2020, this has been the current state for election officials that are publicly out. ”
She elaborates on her experience working in Lane County specifically: “All of our full-time staff has been trained in de-escalation, contingency planning and our full-time staff took an eight-hour physical de-escalation class to teach us how to defend ourselves in the event we were attacked.”
Dawson said that when letters traced with fentanyl were sent to the Lane County Elections office, her and her colleagues evacuated to safety, but were right back in the offices the next day to finish the results.
“We really care about this work, and we would just like to do it without having to fear for our lives.”
Although Dawson had mentioned specific legislative initiatives Oregon has undertaken to protect election officials, such as keeping the residential addresses of election workers and family members confidential, the main work lies within the shift in the public narrative.
“Believe it or not, when people tell us we appreciate what you are doing, and you are doing a good job, it helps to know that we are appreciated. Knowing that people are supportive and on our side is really helpful to me and the team.”
Dawson continues mentioning the importance of community support, especially in times when election hostility is becoming more and more mainstream and accepted.
According to Dawson, efforts of rehumanizing election workers are essential to end the misinformation campaigns and create a community around enthusiastic democracy.
“But really, just understanding that we are regular people, and this is our passion, we are administrators doing administrative work, and everyone here cares about doing a good job,” Dawson said. “ If people really thought of us as real people — your neighbors, cousins, sisters, moms [and] dads — I think it helps people understand.”
With the growing unrest and the personal stake involved in working as an election administrator, please take the time to thank your county election official.