In 2020, election officials in Georgia and Michigan faced intense national pressure, threats and false claims about their work. This year, NPR reports, that kind of spotlight could land almost anywhere.
The House and Senate races that will decide control of Congress are spread across the country, in states such as Iowa, Alaska, New York, Kansas and Texas. That means county clerks and local election offices that have rarely drawn national attention may suddenly be under scrutiny if their races are close.
Officials say ordinary problems can quickly become national stories in that environment. An equipment failure, a jammed ballot scanner or a website that goes down for a while can be seized on online and turned into claims of fraud, even when the problem is quickly fixed and every ballot is counted.
Election officials told NPR they have seen some intimidation this year, but the overall threat environment is generally calmer than it was after 2020. Groups that train election workers have expanded their preparation for worst-case scenarios, including how to respond to misinformation and how to keep workers safe.
Other reporting has noted added tension this year. The Justice Department plans to send about 1,000 monitors to polling places nationwide, about triple the number from the last midterms. Some local officials worry that could intimidate voters, while the department says those fears are baseless. Some legal experts also fear challenges could delay certification in close races.
Election officials urge voters to rely on their county election office for accurate information about results and to be patient, since counting in close races can take time.
Sources: NPR, Georgia Public Broadcasting, The Straits Times.