By Nick Corasaniti and Alexandra Berzon
Former President Donald Trump’s mounting insistence on investigating and prosecuting election officials he perceives as “corrupt” is triggering alarms among democracy scholars and the local and state workers preparing to manage elections and compute millions of ballots across the nation.
In his recent social media declarations, Trump stated that election officials “engaged in unscrupulous actions will be identified, caught, and prosecuted in ways, regrettably, never seen before in our Country.” He further remarked that the November election “will be subjected to extreme professional scrutiny and, WHEN I WIN, those individuals who CHEATED will face prosecution to the maximum extent of the Law, which will involve long prison terms to ensure that this Depravity of Justice doesn’t occur again.”
On the surface, these remarks appear to be commitments to uphold the law. However, coming from Trump, a politician who has continuously claimed to detect corruption and fraud in the absence of any evidence, and who, as president, urged law enforcement to pursue his grievances, these statements raise the alarm that government officials could face investigations and prosecutions for merely conducting a fair election.
In his inability to accept his 2020 loss, Trump has previously accused election officials of undermining him, publicly naming them on social media and disseminating falsehoods about their actions.
Democracy experts have pointed out that the rhetoric of prosecution bears unsettling similarities. Such threats are more commonly seen in new nations, post-communist regimes, or regions that are “struggling between democracy and authoritarianism,” according to Larry Diamond, a researcher of global democracies and a senior fellow with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.
“In the contemporary world, you won’t find cases of a mature and stable, even slightly liberal democracy where a significant presidential candidate issues such threats,” he noted. “It’s simply bizarre and unprecedented.”
In the U.S., candidates from both parties have historically regarded election officials as neutral, primarily reserving disputes over election conduct for litigation. Trump’s persistent grievances regarding his 2020 defeat have eroded this norm, exposing election officials to a surge of unfounded accusations and threats.
These threats carry added weight amid the nation’s experiences with political violence. Recently, there was a second assassination attempt on Trump, which he survived unharmed. Moreover, on Monday, suspicious packages were sent to the offices of at least 15 election officials, leading to evacuations. (Investigations are still ongoing.)
Jena Griswold, Colorado’s secretary of state and a Democrat, reported receiving over 1,000 serious threats, including death threats, in the last year, a situation she attributes to remarks made by the former president. Since 2020, Trump has consistently claimed his defeat was rigged by Democrats, despite numerous courts, audits, and investigations refuting him.
Across the nation, election officials have adjusted to a dangerous atmosphere. They’ve installed bulletproof glass and panic buttons in election offices, they reveal. Some have sought police protection for their homes around Election Day. They are training staff on how to diffuse tense situations and have shared videos on addressing mental health issues stemming from occupational pressures.
However, Trump’s comments regarding post-election prosecution suggest a threat that is more challenging to guard against and, for some, more difficult to fathom.
Interviews with over two dozen election officials, including those who convened at a conference in Detroit last week, revealed that many are more concerned with successfully conducting the election than with the possibility of being prosecuted afterward. Numerous officials expressed belief that the legal system would protect them as long as they adhered to the law.
“In one sense, I think, ‘Good luck,’” said Judd Choate, election director for Colorado. “We reside in the U.S., where one must have a legitimate reason to incarcerate someone. I don’t foresee it leading anywhere, but it’s part of a broader strategy to instill fear and hesitation in election officials.”
Sara Tindall Ghazal, an election official in Georgia, remarked that Trump’s post immediately brought to mind her experiences as an election monitor in Liberia.
Tindall Ghazal, a Democrat, recounted receiving a warning shortly after an election there that the president’s special guard was raiding a nearby radio station. As she rushed to check on her colleagues, she recalled being pulled over by police.
“I felt absolute terror at that moment, thinking, ‘I’m next, this is it,’” she shared. (It eventually turned out that the police officer simply wanted a bribe.) “That entire scenario, along with that intense relief, flooded back to me when I read the headlines and saw the post.”
Trump’s campaign defended his statements, asserting that “anyone who violates the law should face prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, including criminals who commit election fraud.”
Trump’s remarks became a hot topic at the hotel in Detroit last week, where hundreds of election officials from both major parties gathered for their annual conference. There, the routine efforts of these government workers stood in stark contrast to the narrative of partisan lawlessness frequently propagated by Trump and his supporters.
Officials participated in sessions and luncheons covering the complexities of conducting elections. Recognition was given to offices that had devised strategies for reducing wait times or optimizing poll worker shifts.
Dozens of graduates from a certification program stood and affirmed an oath to uphold the principles of their profession, such as honoring the Constitution and all laws, maintaining the “highest level of integrity,” and safeguarding public office from partisan exploitation.
Choate expressed concern that too many Americans fail to recognize this aspect of their work. Just prior to the conference, he had to alert the FBI after a voter he had corresponded with for years suddenly suggested he be executed for treason.
“They are treating or discussing us as though we aren’t real people with families and homes,” Choate stated. “It’s easy to target us when you don’t perceive us as human.”
