Transformed ex-police officer aids election staff in overcoming menaces and mistreatment
Imagine someone appearing near a voting station with a deadly assault rifle, or employing AI to mimic a local official's voice and phone in a bomb threat.
These workshops, held nationwide, can stir up powerful feelings in current and former election officials, some of whom have dealt with personal harassment or life-threatening messages. These experiences have taken a heavy toll on their mental well-being.
At the end of these workshops, Harold Love, a former Michigan state trooper turned psychotherapist, addresses the group. He shares his thoughts on how it's normal for them to feel this way. Nods of understanding can be seen throughout the room, as they realize they're not alone in their feelings.
Four years ago, such workshops were not necessary. Few anticipated the surge in violent threats aimed at election workers during the 2020 election. These threats often stemmed from unfounded voter-fraud conspiracy theories spread by former President Donald Trump and his allies.
The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, which organizes these security drills, was established in 2022. It provided a much-needed space for law enforcement and election officials to cope with this new reality in the US, where election workers can become targets of public backlash.
The threat level remains high four years after the 2020 election. Hostility toward election workers has become commonplace.
According to a survey released by the Brennan Center for Justice in May, 38% of local election officials have experienced threats, abuse, or harassment. Many have left the profession, leaving room for less experienced election workers.
US officials are concerned that beliefs in voter fraud or other "election-related grievances" could inspire domestic extremists to commit violence in the weeks leading up to and following the November election. This concern is based on a recent federal intelligence bulletin.
Federal officials have conducted numerous security assessments of polling sites and other election infrastructure in the last year. They are on edge and taking every precaution to prevent a violent attack on election workers.
Election officials in battleground states are not taking any chances. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes understands the chaos caused by unsubstantiated claims of voter fraud. In 2020, an armed mob showed up in Arizona after the election.
“We need to be prepared to respond to the acts of domestic terrorists—their threats and any real violence they decide to engage in,” Fontes told CNN.
He believes Arizona election workers are up for the challenge: “We’re a hearty bunch.”
‘People are leaving this profession’
Love, the former state trooper, started counseling election officials after his friend, Tina Barton, a former Republican clerk in Rochester Hills, Michigan, received a death threat after the 2020 election.
Barton, in her role as a clerk, disputed a claim made by then-RNC chairwoman Ronna McDaniel at a press conference, that 2,000 ballots in Rochester Hills had been given to Democrats.
Days later, someone from Indiana left a threatening voicemail for Barton, threatening her family and life. He was later sentenced to 14 months in prison.
Now, as a private election security consultant, Barton uses her experience to empathize with election officials under stress.
“We’re seeing people leave this amazing profession that they love,” Barton told CNN. She co-founded CSSE and attends its security drills. The threats, harassment, and pressure have led some election officials, or their family members, to say, “‘Enough is enough. We don’t want you to live in this state of mind,’” Barton said.
The Justice Department has secured more than a dozen convictions related to threats against election officials, but this is still not enough for many election officials and their advocates.
Election officials who have chosen to stay in the face of threats are learning from their traumatic experiences in 2020.
When Al Schmidt served as Philadelphia commissioner during the 2020 election, he didn't know who to report violent threats to. The threats became more specific and targeted his children after Trump mentioned him by name in a tweet after the 2020 election.
Four years later, Schmidt is Pennsylvania's secretary of state, where he oversees election administration across the state. He also leads the state's Election Threats Task Force, which includes state and federal law enforcement and is designed to detect threats to election workers more quickly.
“It would be naive not to prepare for the possibility of these threats reoccurring,” Schmidt said of the threats faced by him and other election workers in 2020.
These heightened threats and hostile environment in the electoral process have led some election officials to consider leaving their professions. The escalating intimidation and harassment have become a significant concern, as highlighted by former election official Tina Barton.
Following the 2020 election, Barton, who disputed a baseless claim, received a death threat that forced her to take a break from her role. Now, as a private election security consultant, she empathizes with her peers undergoing similar stressors.
