1 in 3 election workers are "very worried" about interference from politicians
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Election officials worry about politicians interfering with their jobs, as well as new colleagues who embrace theories about widespread election fraud, according to a survey by the Brennan Center for Justice.
Why it matters: It's been nearly a year and half since the 2020 election, but baseless allegations of fraud from former President Trump and associates are still fueling anxiety. Brennan found that one in five election workers they're likely to leave their jobs before 2024.
By the numbers: One out of every six local officials interviewed said they'd been threatened because of their job, whether over the phone, in person or through social media, the survey of nearly 600 officials found.
- More than one in three said they're "very worried" about interference by political leaders over how they and other election officials do their jobs in future elections.
- Just 13% said they'd been "very worried" before 2020.
- The majority said social media has made their jobs "somewhat" — if not "a lot" — more difficult and dangerous.
Between the lines: Half of the officials interviewed said they're at least "somewhat concerned" about new colleagues who might believe there was widespread fraud in 2020.
- More than a quarter were "very concerned" about it.
- The concern comes as more than 20 people who've questioned 2020's election results have launched campaigns for Secretary of State and other top state election positions; some of them have been backed by Trump.
Benenson Strategy Group conducted 596 interviews from Jan. 31-Feb. 14, 2022, among local election officials across the country, and of all political affiliations. The margin of error for the dataset is +/- 3.95%.
