An essential part of the electoral process is the individuals who dedicate their time to administering elections. Unfortunately, as we approach the 2024 general election, a somber trend of growing threats and harassment against election officials is increasing nationwide thanks to false conspiracy theories still being spread about the 2020 presidential election.
That’s why protections need to be set in place to keep election officials protected during and after an election.
As harassment increases across the country, it is only a matter of time before it becomes a real problem here in Connecticut. That is why it’s critical that legislators pass House Bill 5448, which would protect Connecticut’s election workers and, therefore, safeguard Connecticut’s electoral process.
House Bill 5448 targets three vital realities as a consequence of the rise of harassment toward election officials. It protects against the release of an official’s private information and criminalizes harassment or coercion of an official in an attempt to tamper with an election. It also bans the possession of a firearm within 1,000 feet of critical election sites. This legislation is a direct response to what is taking place in polling sites nationwide.
For example, ongoing attacks on local election officials are hindering the ability to administer elections in many states because one in five election officials planned to leave their jobs before 2024 due to the rise of violence, and one in three election officials surveyed in 2022 knew someone who left their job running elections because they did not feel safe. Without the necessary legislation, election officials will continue to feel unsafe administering future elections. If that pattern continues, our elections could become increasingly vulnerable, which in turn will undermine democracy both locally and federally.
In Connecticut, election officials have vocalized their fear of administering future elections. Their fear is justifiable, especially if we examine what happened after the 2020 general election. Almost 2,000 rioters stormed the Capitol to mark what we now know as the Jan. 6 insurrection. During the insurrection, rioters chanted threats to government officials and even threatened to hang former Vice President Mike Pence. In addition to the threats, a far-right extremist group stashed a massive cache of weapons in a Virginia hotel room the day before they traveled to the Capitol.
The stashed weapons demonstrate the real danger firearms can pose during an election, especially near polling locations. For example, during the 2022 elections, armed vigilantes in tactical gear were spotted lurking around a ballot box in Maricopa County, Arizona, and days earlier, a voter reported being followed by an armed individual when approaching a voting site. Therefore, states nationwide must be prepared for what can happen during and after the 2024 election. That is why it is crucial to pass legislation like House Bill 5448 so that our election officials can be protected from any degree of violence and harassment.
As a Connecticut resident, I have dedicated much of my life to ensuring that unheard voices are heard in our state’s legislative chambers. So, as our election officials, both locally and federally, express fear amid the rise of violence nationwide, our local governments must act in a bipartisan manner to protect them. In a recent Brennan Center for Justice survey, 79% of election workers believe the government should provide protections.
In addition to election officials’ call for action, Connecticut Secretary of the State Stephanie Thomas has also vocalized support for House Bill 5448 because of its potentially pivotal role in protecting elections and election officials.
Implementing House Bill 5448 is vital for Connecticut to circumvent the national trend of threats and harassment toward election officials locally. If implemented, we will join 18 states that have passed legislation to protect election officials since January 2022. House Bill 5448 will safeguard election officials from the leakage of private information, harassment, and violence ranging from verbal threats to the possibility of an incident involving a firearm. Implementing this bill will look past partisan lines and bring democracy to the forefront by protecting election officials as they uphold their civic duty to maintain our elections.
Carol Rizzolo is co-founder of Connecticut Shoreline Indivisible and Safe Vote CT. Jonah Minkoff-Zern is co-director of Public Citizen Democracy Campaign.