Threats to Arkansas election officials aren't common, but they happen

While U.S. election officials are preparing for unprecedented efforts to disrupt the 2022 midterms, many who oversee the process in Arkansas say they're not particularly concerned.

What's happening: "We’ve not had any reports in Arkansas regarding election-related threats, intimidation, subversion, ulterior motives or anything of the kind," a spokesperson for Arkansas Secretary of State John Thurston told Axios.

• Election officials in six counties said much the same.

Yes, but: In east Arkansas' Lee County, commission officials have received death threats, chair Lindsey Palmer tells Axios.

• Palmer declined to say who received them but said the threats were made in person and were recent.
• "They believe that … we messed up the election. That's just part of our job," she said of the threats.

Why it matters: Efforts to intimidate voters and spread misinformation can erode the public's trust in the democratic process, and safety concerns could make it difficult to recruit election workers.

The big picture: The FBI and Homeland Security issued two warnings about threats to election workers and voter intimidation this month.

• The FBI alert singled out states that experienced public disputes, recounts and audits in 2020, including Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Arkansas was not listed.

Zoom in: Officials in Benton, Washington, Madison and Union counties reported no issues and said that early voting has been higher than normal.

• They attributed the turnout to interest in the ballot issues, concerns about the economy and — in Union County — highly contested mayoral and city council races.
• A citizen-proposed ballot in Craighead County seeks to cut library funding in half in apparent retribution to a 2021 Pride display.

• "We've got a pretty good community," Craighead County election coordinator Jennifer Clack, said. "Even if you disagree, people don't get … violent. Protests have been peaceful."
• Amanda Dickens, election coordinator in Pulaski county told us, "I feel really good about the system we have set up here."

What we're watching: The Natural State may not have visible voter intimidation like in Arizona, but it doesn't mean there won't be post-election challenges. In September, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that election officials were inundated with Freedom of Information Act requests for records from the 2020 election.

• It remains to be seen what the requesters intend to do with the information.
• Yes, and: More than 100 lawsuits have already been filed, largely by Republicans, to challenge aspects of the 2022 process, including states' handling of absentee ballots, AP reports.