Carson City, NV. (AP) — Those who harass, intimidate or use force on election workers performing their duties in Nevada could soon face up to four years in prison under a new law signed by Governor Joe Lombardo on Tuesday.
The law is meant to deter attacks against those in state and local election offices who have faced increased scrutiny for doing their jobs, Democratic Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar said Tuesday.
The bill makes it a felony to disseminate personal information about an election worker without their consent.
“I want election workers to know that the secretary of state’s office has their back,” Aguilar said at the ceremony.
Over half of the top election officials across Nevada’s 17 counties stepped down between the 2020 election and 2022 midterms, with several citing election threats. Many of their staff members had resigned too, along with an exodus of workers in the secretary of state’s election department leading up to the 2022 midterms. That was due both to election burnout and better opportunities elsewhere, the office said at the time.
The penalty would be one to four years in state prison with the possibility of probation — the same as it is to harass, intimidate or use force on voters.