Threats and Turnover: The Troubling Climate for U.S. Election Officials
As the temperature of political discourse rises, so too do the threats against public officials, resulting in a concerning trend of job attrition among election administrators—from the local clerk to the president. This phenomenon is particularly acute among local election officials, who have faced persistent challenges in retaining staff over the years.
A new report from Issue One, a bipartisan organization dedicated to monitoring election issues and promoting campaign finance reforms, highlights that approximately 50 percent of top local election officials across 11 western states have departed their roles since the tumultuous November 2020 election. This alarming statistic sheds light on the broader implications of a workforce in distress, exacerbated by the dual crises of a pandemic and the proliferation of conspiracy theories that have plagued the electoral process.
Focus areas of the report include election offices in states such as Arizona, California, and Colorado, revealing a troubling trend: the rate of departures has not only persisted but has increased, showing a 10 percentage point rise compared to the group’s 2023 findings.
Compounding these staffing issues, a separate report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue indicates a staggering 200 percent increase in violent rhetoric directed at public officials between the periods of October 2021 to September 2022 and October 2024 to September 2025. Collectively, these reports paint a grim picture for a democracy that relies on engaged and secure public servants to maintain its functions.
Sasha Havlicek, CEO of the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, articulated the gravity of the situation, noting that violent online rhetoric is becoming normalized, encouraging individuals to express themselves in ways they might not in face-to-face interactions. “People feel emboldened to speak in certain ways because of the anonymity of online environments,” she explained.
Election officials nationwide are responding proactively, implementing enhanced security measures to protect themselves and their teams. Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, who has faced serious threats including doxxing, shared her concerns: “It definitely raises some concerns when people are using threatening and violent language and know where I live. And it just takes one, right?”
The ominous trend is not limited to any one political party. According to the Institute for Strategic Dialogue’s findings, “Republican leaders, particularly President [Donald] Trump, were disproportionately targeted” by violent threats. The report notes a significant spike in online threats following a July 2024 assassination attempt on Trump, which has contributed to a 364 percent increase in threats against Republicans—substantially higher than the 124 percent increase seen among Democrats.
Despite numerous calls for a reduction in violent rhetoric following such incidents, the opposite effect often occurs, according to Havlicek. “Instead of inspiring some sense of compassion or a deescalation, they do the opposite,” she stated, lamenting that real-world acts of violence tend to push online discourse toward aggression.
This alarming rise in threats, coupled with the increasing turnover of election officials, is creating unease among elected officials themselves. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes expressed his concerns, stating, “I’m always concerned when people feel like their personal safety is at risk, and when they can’t stand to do a job that they want to do anymore because of circumstances outside of that job, that sucks.”
The turnover rate among election officials is especially pronounced in highly competitive regions facing intense scrutiny. Issue One’s report reveals that 80 percent of counties with narrow margins in the 2020 presidential election have seen turnover among their chief local election officials, while only 40 percent of counties with margins of 50 percent or more have experienced similar departures.
While the loss of seasoned election officials is troubling, there is a glimmer of hope as new generations of workers step in to fill the void. Fontes noted that in Arizona, where all 15 counties have experienced turnover since 2020, they are actively seeking to inject fresh talent into election administration through a fellowship program. “Instead of just kind of only being concerned, we’re actually doing stuff about it,” he emphasized.
A version of this article first appeared in POLITICO Pro’s Morning Score. Want to receive the newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
