Active shooter training among measures to protect election workers

Zoom in: In Flagstaff, Arizona, for instance, an election office will be barricaded by bulletproof glass, and anyone wishing to enter will have to ring a buzzer, Reuters reports.

• At an election office in Tallahassee, Florida, the walls have been fortified with kevlar, which is the same synthetic material used in bulletproof vests and military helmets.
• The Florida election office also conducted active shooter trainings for its workers and has installed bullet- and bomb-resistant glass, Reuters notes.
• In Jefferson County, Colorado, four security guards will be positioned outside some of the busiest polling centers in the weeks surrounding the election.

The big picture: Nearly 1 in 5 local election officials said they were likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 presidential election, according to a report from the liberal-leaning Brennan Center for Justice released in March.

• The officials said politicians' attacks on the election system, stress and retirement were the primary reasons they were likely to leave, per the report.

• In an attempt to respond to the torrent of threats, states have enacted laws to bolster protections for election officials, including California, Colorado, Maine, Oregon and Vermont, CNN reports.
• The Department of Justice in June 2021 launched the Election Threats Task Force in response to rising threats of violence against election workers.

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