Election Workers Have Been Threatened with Violence and Feel Unsafe, Spark Exodus

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Nearly 1 in 6 election workers have been threatened with violence and almost 1 in 3 said they feel unsafe because of their job, information that has sparked fears of an exodus.

“It’s absolutely going to lead to an unprecedented exodus of a whole generation, I think, of professional election administrators,” David Becker, executive director and founder of the Center for Election Innovation and Research, told The Hill.

Another expert says that there is low morale and that turnover is high, the sort of environment that has stoked fears of an election worker shortage come midterm elections in 2022.

“Anyone who has been around elections for a while will tell you that the number of election administrators leaving their jobs this year is much higher than ever,” said Matthew Weil, director of the Elections Project at the Bipartisan Policy Center.

The news comes as citizens in different states wrestle with a spate of new voting restrictions, such as those proposed in Texas which include a ban on drive-thru voting and additional requirements to existing voter ID law.

Restrictions would bar local officials from sending out mail-in ballot applications and require the Texas secretary of state to check voting lists monthly for noncitizens.