A poll released Thursday says 46 percent of election officials are worried about politically motivated investigations.
The study conducted by the Brennan Center Research Department found that 38 percent of election workers have reported experiencing threats, harassment, or abuse because of their job.
The survey was conducted after the 2024 election cycle, where President Trump beat former Vice President Harris after claiming voter fraud influenced former President Biden’s successful White House bid four years prior.Â
Two Georgia election workers won a $146 million defamation lawsuit against Trump’s former attorney over baseless claims that they engaged in election fraud in 2020.
Research revealed 59 percent worry about political leaders interfering with how election officials do their jobs and 81 percent are concerned about false information about elections spreading on social media, according to the Thursday poll.
The Brennan Center Research Department found that after the 2024 election, more than 75 percent of local election officials want other federal agencies to provide at least as much support as they did last year.
Twenty-eight percent of those workers want more support from the Election Assistance Commission compared to 41 percent who want the same support they received in 2024.
Thirty percent want more support from the Department of Justice versus 49 percent who said they want the same amount of support as last year.
Ninety percent of survey takers said they were satisfied with support from the local government.
Although 87 percent of local election officials say it’s very or somewhat important for local and state governments to make up the funding gap left by federal cuts.
The Brennan Center Research Department administered the survey from April 15 to May 17, and 858 local election officials responded to the survey. The margin of error is +/- 3 percent.
