2024 ELECTION
Do More to Protect Election Workers, Democracy
DOJ, local and state officials need to get more aggressive
In June 2021, the U.S. Department of Justice created the Election Threats Task Force to better protect election workers — those in elected and appointed positions, as well as volunteers.
This month, the task force announced it has charged 14 cases and secured nine convictions.
That’s not good enough.
Neither is the $30 million in grant money the Department of Homeland Security designated to phyiscallyshore up election offices and enhance cybersecurity.
Federal officials can only file the most serious cases — those where violence was likely. Yet there needs to be more coordination with state and local governments to file lesser penalties. And pro-democracy groups should work with law-enforcement to promote the historic contributions of election workers and to explain that even hacking and doxxing can amount to attacks on democracy.
“A functioning democracy requires that the public servants who administer our elections are able to do their jobs without fearing for their lives,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland.
