Brennan Heart’s 2026 survey of local election officials reveals their concerns about new and persistent difficulties, but also reveals their resilience.
The last few years have been very difficult for electoral authorities. They have worked through a pandemic, concerns for their personal safety, and even bomb threats and acts of violence and, most recently, the dismantling of the federal government’s support for election security.
However, Brennan Heart’s new survey of local election officials shows that this group is very resilient and has been preparing for the midterm elections to run safely in November.
The survey, carried out between January 27 and February 26 among 834 participants, reveals a panorama full of concerns. Almost a third of electoral authorities surveyed, 32 percent, said they had received threats, harassment or verbal abuse due to their work.
And about half worry that political leaders will try to interfere with how election officials do their jobs, as the federal government has increased its efforts to intervene in elections by confiscating ballots, filing lawsuits and signing executive orders. Nearly the same proportion, 45 percent, fear that election officials will be the target of politically motivated investigations.
The federal government, which had historically been an important ally in bolstering election security, last year began withdrawing its support for various election security services, primarily through drastic cuts to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a Department of Homeland Security agency that provided resources such as intelligence reports on attempted foreign interference and assessments of the physical security of election offices.
75 percent of local election authorities indicated that their local or state governments have not provided them with funds to offset federal cuts.
But election officials are preparing diligently to ensure the election runs smoothly. 71 percent of respondents said they have been preparing to address disruptions that could affect the election.
These possible situations range from changes in the Postal Service that could affect the delivery of electoral cloth, to requests for access to voting machines by the federal government or even the presence of troops or groups of armed federal officers at voting sites (which, by the way, would be illegal).
The vast majority, 80 percent, are planning to coordinate functions with local police. Collaboration between electoral authorities and the police ahead of the 2024 elections proved to be a very effective practice when responding to various crises that arose across the country.
54 percent are also preparing to coordinate tasks with state or local agencies on information technology.
In addition, electoral authorities are also grappling with new risks posed by artificial intelligence (AI). 63 percent fear that artificial intelligence will make their jobs more difficult or dangerous. And even more, 74 percent, expressed concern about the spread of false information about the elections online.
Electoral authorities remain committed to doing their work, despite the difficulties. Those who participated in the survey stated that serving their communities and ensuring the smooth running of the electoral process were the main reasons they had accepted the job.
We owe our support to the electoral authorities. State and local governments are responsible for administering elections and must step in to fill the gaps left by federal government cuts. And all voters must go out and vote.
More about Brennan in Spanish.
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