Senate Dems Push DOJ to Boost Poll-Worker Protections

In response to growing numbers of local election officials who have reported experiencing threats, harassment or other abuse, a coalition of Senate Democrats urged the Justice Department on Monday to intensify efforts to investigate and combat threats against poll workers and local election officials as the November presidential election approaches, Courthouse News reports. In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco, lawmakers led by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar, Vermont Senator Peter Welch and Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin outlined an ongoing barrage of abusive conduct towards people tasked with overseeing U.S. elections. Around 38% of responding officials said they'd been the target of such conduct, according to a survey published in May by the Brennan Center for Justice. Roughly half of the survey respondents said they were concerned about the safety of colleagues and staff, while around 28% said they were worried about their family or loved ones, the Brennan Center reported.

That increase in threats against poll workers and election officials has caused an exodus, described by Senate Democrats in their letter. Over the last four years, 80% of Arizona’s counties have lost chief election officials, they noted. In Pennsylvania, around 70 senior officials have resigned from posts overseeing local elections. In 2021, the DOJ formed an election threats task force to crack down on people who harass or abuse election officials. The group has overseen around 20 prosecutions so far. The DOJ has also increased outreach efforts concerning federal resources for protecting election officials. The Senators recommended that the department should also look to combat new technologies including artificial intelligence, which they said could expand the reach and conceal the identities of people wishing to do harm to poll workers. Lawmakers also asked for details about the Justice Department’s new plans for the upcoming 2024 election, including any actions taken to address the use of artificial intelligence or other new technologies to target election workers.