(TheRedWire.com) – On Tuesday, election administrators pushed for lawmakers to increase federal support ahead of the 2024 election, since an increased number of threats and violence directed against election workers.
According to a 2022 poll conducted by the Brennan Center for Justice, one in six election officials has faced some kind of threat. This was pointed out by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), chair of the Senate Rules Committee, during a committee hearing, in which she claimed they needed to create an environment in which public servants would be able to complete their tasks “without fear or intimidation.”
Klobuchar has stated the threats to election workers are in large part caused by disinformation spread through social media. She added that considering these challenges it was essential they provide support to election officials whose jobs help “uphold our democracy.”
New Mexico Secretary of State Maggie Toulouse Oliver also told lawmakers there has been an increase in election misinformation and consequently election distrust following the 2020 election. As Toulouse Oliver stated the election administrations had to “bear the associated burdens of frivolous lawsuits, excessively burdensome public information requests, disruptive voters and poll workers, and outright threats and harassment.”
Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) also said the threats are a result of the “Big Lie,” a reference to former President Donald Trump’s allegations that the 2020 presidential election had been stolen from him through widespread election fraud.
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