01/25/2024

Public Officials Face Surge of Threats Ahead of 2024 Election

Attacks are on the rise among election fanatics

Since the 2020 election, state and local officials have faced a surge of violent threats, harassment, and intimidation. A new report published Thursday by the Brennan Center for Justice lays out how this abuse is reshaping the way public officials across the U.S. do their jobs, making them less likely to engage with constituents, hold public events, advocate for policies that could lead to blowback or run for re-election.

More than 40 percent of state legislators surveyed reported being threatened or attacked in the past three years. Nearly 90 percent said they had suffered less severe abuse, including harassment, intimidation, and stalking. Almost 40 percent of local officials, including 50 percent of women, said the ongoing harassment made them less willing to run for re-election or to seek higher office.

This tally includes many state and local election officials, who in 2020 bore the brunt of the anger of former President Donald Trump's supporters, who wrongly accused them of rigging that race and subsequently hounded many out of office. The resulting turnover means that more than 1 in 5 election administrators will be doing the job for the first time in 2024, according to the Brennan Center's data.

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.