Desert Sun: California’s Sen. Padilla demands action on ‘persistent threats against election workers’
By Brian Day
U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla has joined with 21 fellow senators in calling on the Department of Justice to take steps to ensure the safety of poll workers during the upcoming election amid “ongoing and persistent” threats against election workers.
Padilla, D-CA, sent a letter urging action and demanding information to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland, along with colleagues including Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, D-Ill, and Senate Committee on Rules and Administration Chair Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., according to a statement issued by his office.
“We write to express serious concern about ongoing and persistent threats against election workers and to call on the Department of Justice to take additional steps to protect election officials, workers, and volunteers as we approach the election in November,” the letter stated.
“In recent years, we have seen an ongoing barrage of threats and abusive conduct targeting election workers, and, as noted in the Department’s Election Threats Task Force briefing in May, these threats to our public servants ‘endanger our democracy itself,” the senators added.
A survey carried out earlier this year found that one in three elections workers reported experiencing threats, harassment or abuse, the statement said. And another survey performed last year determined more than half of those who received threats had been threatened in person.
The issue has effected election officials of both major political parties, officials said.
“Last November, more than a dozen threatening letters — some containing fentanyl — were sent to election offices in at least six states, resulting in evacuations and delays in ballot counting,” according to the statement from Padilla’s office. “Earlier this year, a New Mexico man was convicted for his role in a series of shootings targeting local election officials. And as Deputy Attorney General Monaco has noted, these threats are being supercharged by new technologies like artificial intelligence that can expand the reach and further conceal the identities of those seeking to do harm.”
While the senators commended the DOJ for efforts it has already undertaken to address the issue, such as the establishment of an Election Threats Task Force, they maintained that more must be done.
They requested an update on the DOJ’s plans for poll worker safety, as well as six specific items of information. They included:
- The number of threats against election workers, officials, volunteers, or their families that have been identified by the Department’s Election Threats Task Force, by state.
- The number of completed and ongoing investigations and prosecutions based on those identified threats and actions taken to prioritize investigations and prosecutions.
- A summary of the Department’s efforts to conduct outreach to election officials and workers to make them aware of the process for reporting threats and resources provided by the Task Force.
- Actions taken by the Department to address the use of new technologies — including artificial intelligence —to target election workers.
- Actions taken by the Department to inform local law enforcement agencies and election workers about the Department’s National Extreme Risk Protection Order Resource Center.
- A summary of any new plans the Department has for the 2024 election cycle, including staff increases or new training for existing staff members.
“Our election officials and workers are public servants working on the frontlines of our democracy to make sure that every vote is counted,” the letter said.
With the increasing level of threats and harassment, it continued, “the number of election official resignations and retirements is growing, resulting in a significant loss of institutional knowledge.”
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