Election officials and poll workers around the country are readying for the Nov. 5 general election in six weeks with the same unease felt ahead of an impending storm.
On Wednesday, U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla, D-Calif., and U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Pa., announced the introduction of the Freedom from Intimidation in Elections Act. Earlier this week, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed similar legislation for California. They are both designed to better protect election workers and guard against intimidation and harassment.
According to the Brennan Center for Justice, a nonprofit law institute at New York University, 92% of local election officials have taken steps to increase election security for voters since 2020. Those steps include more cybersecurity and physical security protections of election offices and polling places. Additionally, 38% of election workers have reported experiencing threats, harassment, or abuse as of May 2024.
Padilla’s bill updates the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to establish a presumption that a person carrying a visible firearm while engaging in election-related activities is engaging in voter intimidation. There is an exception for law enforcement officers acting within their official duties.
At a press event in Washington, D.C., Deluzio held up a photo of two people, armed and dressed in tactical gear, who patrolled a ballot drop box in Mesa, Arizona in 2022.
“I served in a war zone,” he said. “Our polls should never feel like that.”
“Sadly, there’s a long, dark history of voter suppression and intimidation in our country,” Padilla said. “We know that, in this day and age, there are individuals out there, stoked by partisan rhetoric and false narratives about election fraud, that have taken it upon themselves to either discourage at a minimum, or sometimes outright intimidate people into not letting their voices be heard in the democratic process. There is a well-documented rise in violence towards election workers and election volunteers.”
Sadly, there’s a long, dark history of voter suppression and intimidation in our country. … There is a well-documented rise in violence towards election workers and election volunteers.
u.s. sen alex padilla
Padilla’s bill also provides civil remedies for voters and election officials, including an emergency injunction. That is a court order against someone who has been physically violent and/or has placed someone in fear of physical violence.
For the first time in history, the U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security has designated the 2025 Counting and Certification of Electoral Votes in Washington, D.C. on Jan. 6, to be a National Special Security Event. That’s the top security category for events of the highest national significance.
How Bay Area counties ramp up security
Around the Bay Area, local registrars have boosted training and physical security. Most election workers are receiving de-escalation training, and county registrars are coordinating with local law enforcement for worst-case scenarios.
San Joaquin County Registrar of Voters Olivia Hale said they have seen some posts about voter rolls, but nothing threatening.
“There’s been a lot of talk about drop boxes in our county because there’s a certain group of people that don’t like drop boxes, “said Hale.
The county started with smaller drop boxes on wheels but in 2023, they spent $200,000 to purchase 25 permanent boxes that weigh 2,500 pounds each and install them throughout the county.
“We are also putting surveillance cameras on every single drop box in our county,” she said. They did that for the first time during the March primary election.
Wendy Hudson, Chief Deputy Registrar of Voters for Sonoma County, said that their election workers have received phone threats in the past, two of which were reported to the FBI.
“We provide our poll workers de-escalation training, and workplace violence prevention training,” said Hudson.
Her office also communicates with law enforcement when in-person voting starts so they can look for anything suspicious at any polling locations. They provide officers with a pocket guide of laws against election interference and voter intimidation.
Michael Borja, spokesperson for the Santa Clara County Registrar of Voters, said their office has recently implemented both physical security and cybersecurity protections. Some of these efforts include mandatory staff training on de-escalation, information security and threat monitoring technologies.
Voter guides were mailed this week in most counties, and mail-in ballots will start to be mailed next week. The California Secretary of State’s Office asks the public to report voter misinformation to votesure@sos.ca.gov.
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