Many of those trying to destabilize election processes do so by abusing and threatening election workers. When they confront election workers of color, the threats are often particularly vicious, invoking racist slurs and threatening violence historically used to terrorize people of color.

These threats can be particularly damaging because they attack a part of a person’s identity. This harassment is intended to rattle and disrespect workers who are simply trying to run fair elections for their communities.

In approaching EOLDN for help, one such election worker said that her reaction to being targeted with racist death threats was defiant: “If that’s what we had to put up with, we put up with it. We weren’t scared.” We have seen this courageous dedication from election workers despite frightening circumstances time and again. Milton Kidd, Elections and Voter Registration Director of Douglas County, GA, spoke to Stateline about the abuse hurled at him and his workers, saying,“I will never let a detractor who calls with vile language deter me from the work that I do.”

Still, some election workers have reluctantly stepped away because of threats and racist vitriol. No election worker should have to face this abuse. These workers deserve public, law enforcement, and legal support so that they can feel safer in their work. EOLDN is available to any election workers who would like to speak to a lawyer, share their story, and explore their options.