“The threats became much more specific, much more graphic, and included not just me by name but included members of my family…” This is how Al Schmidt, the former City Commissioner of Philadelphia and a Republican member of the election board, described the intimidation he faced during and after the 2020 election.
He’s not alone. Nearly one in five local election officials say they are likely to leave their jobs before the 2024 Presidential election, according to a recent Brennan Center survey. Many cite threats as the reason for their departure.
The January 6th Committee is showing us how fragile our democracy is. Our trust in each other and in our institutions is waning – in both parties. Norms of peaceful, inclusive democratic activity are being eroded, as we see from reports about professional election officials being intimidated.
This doesn’t have to continue. We can act now to protect our democracy, at a minimum, taking a stance against politically motivated violence. This is an important line to hold. Even the threat of violence chills democracy. People grow reluctant to speak about issues, voters are afraid to cast ballots, good people are deterred from running for office.
Fortunately, there are many ways we can protect our democracy, without spending any money or investing a lot of time.