One unfortunate change in the four years since we began this project has been the growth of threats, harassment, and abuse directed at local election officials. In the 2020 LEO Survey, we included a new battery of questions designed to capture the frequency and content of harassment, as well as perceptions of LEOs about whether or not harassment was being taken seriously.

One in four of our survey respondents told us that they experienced threats of violence.

Officials across all jurisdiction sizes and political affiliations experienced these threats, but there are some differences in where harassment occurs.

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The threat environment is much more severe in larger jurisdictions compared to smaller jurisdictions. For example, while 14 percent of LEOs serving jurisdictions with less than 5,000 registered voters told us that they had experienced abuse, harassment, or threats, the percentage increases to two-thirds of LEOs serving in the largest jurisdictions.

Similarly, 20 percent of LEOs who told us they were Republicans said they experienced threats, compared to 30 percent of Independents and 34 percent of Democrats.

These differences should not disguise the overall result: threats against LEOs are far too real, far too regular, and far too common.

Are these threats being taken seriously? This is a good news/bad news story.

The good news is that the individual or institution that LEOs say is taking threats “very seriously” or “seriously”  is their state’s chief election official.  This is followed by local and federal law enforcement, state legislatures, the national and local media, and the United States Congress.The less good news is that these figures are as low as they are. These are perceptual data, of course, and do not necessarily reflect a lack of attention Nonetheless, we have to be concerned when, for example, only a quarter of election officials think that federal law enforcement is taking threats seriously.

More work needs to be done to highlight and combat the very real and pervasive threats and harassment directed at officials who are simply trying to do their job.