Midterm elections are drawing near and some states are preparing by putting new security measures in place.
Plexiglass, security fences and private security guards are some of the tools implemented in an effort to keep election officials safe. Officials are looking to these methods in the wake of the 2020 presidential election.
During and since that election cycle, Republican former President Donald Trump refuted the election results. This rhetoric fueled both a speech he made and a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol as lawmakers sought to certify votes for President Joe Biden on Jan. 6, 2021.
According to The New York Times, “heightened vigilance comes as violent rhetoric from the right intensifies and as efforts to intimidate election officials by those who refuse to accept the results of the 2020 election become commonplace.”
For example, election workers in Maricopa County, Ariz., had to be escorted to their cars through crowds of election deniers back in 2020. This year, a security fence has been added around a vote tabulation center there, as well as cameras and other security measures, said The New York Times.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, around 69% of voters cast their 2020 ballots “non-traditionally,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Non-traditional methods included drop boxes where voters could deposit their ballots.
Fears about election fraud has promoted other types of action in conservative states. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis even announced this summer the arrest of 20 people who allegedly engaged in voter fraud. Experts have since questioned whether these arrests are legitimate.
Last summer, the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty group filed a lawsuit claiming that drop boxes there were illegal. In April, a man wearing camouflage and a mask tried to open locked doors during an election in the state.
This summer, the state’s Supreme Court upheld the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty argument against ballot boxes in a lawsuit. Now plexiglass and cameras “fortify the reception area of a county election office,” in Madison, Wisconsin’s capital, said The New York Times.
Officials in Dane County, where Madison is located, recently budgeted $95,000 to create a new, more secure election center.
In Colorado, Democrat Secretary of State and Jena Griswold has even budgeted for private security after threats. She also has a page dedicated to debunking election myths on her website.
Griswold said that she decided to add the part-time security detail after a right-wing group’s gathering in Colorado earlier this year. According to The New York Times, a prominent election denier with militia ties suggested at the meeting that Griswold should be killed.
“They called for me to be hung,” she said, adding that she has limited coverage by the Colorado State Patrol.
Many election officials have left their jobs this year over safety concerns, according to the Brennan Center for Justice. Benjamin Hovland, a member of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, said these security threats impact both red states and blue states.
“No one should have to face violent threats at work, but unfortunately, this is the reality for many election officials,” the U.S. Elections Assistance Commission explained. However, it added that “there are proactive steps election officials can take to improve their personal security, and it is critically important to document and report every threat and develop a working relationship with federal and local law enforcement.”
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