Election officials across the country are ramping up their security measures at polling places with voting underway in the presidential race, from beefing up law enforcement presence to donning bulletproof vests to deploying drones for surveillance amid an increasingly hostile environment.
The once-routine business of running elections in America has become much more fraught with risk in the wake of the 2020 campaign, with poll workers facing harassment, violent threats and chaotic protests. It's a dynamic that has forced many election officials out of the industry, while those who remain have taken in some cases dramatic steps to protect poll workers and voters ahead of Election Day. Some poll workers are also receiving pay bumps as incentives to stay on through a stressful voting period.
In interviews, county and state election officials shared details of security plans with NBC News.
Maricopa County, Arizona, has been a hotbed of conspiracy theories, protests and threats for years, fueled by baseless voter fraud claims from former President Donald Trump and his allies.
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The county, the largest in one of the most critical battleground states on the map, will have some of the most intense security in the nation. Its tabulation center will have snipers on the roof, metal detectors and security at every entrance, drones surveilling overhead, and security cameras and floodlights to help law enforcement monitor the area.
There are also two layers of security fencing, and some workers will be bused in from off-site parking to accommodate the newly implemented measures.
“They spared no expense in 2022, they’re all in again this cycle,” Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer, a Republican, said of local law enforcement’s plans.
In Cobb County, Georgia, the sheriff will have officers at every early voting site and patrolling local precincts. The county has set up an emergency operations center at the local 911 call center, where the sheriff’s office, fire department and local utilities will be monitoring CCTVs and social media to keep an eye on everything from traffic and long lines to any potential disturbances at the polls.
“They’re going to pull up the cameras closest to all the 148 polling places to monitor for traffic, accidents, things like that — high volume,” said Tate Fall, the county's director of elections.
The county allocated money for so-called panic buttons that would allow election workers to quickly contact authorities in emergencies. But officials found implementing the technology difficult since the county doesn’t give poll workers smartphones. They decided to give police radios to election workers instead.
In nearby Gwinnett County, the sheriff will be overseeing security for all its polling sites, even in unincorporated areas typically monitored by local police. The local schools are closed on Election Day, so school police officers will be deployed at polling sites there.
The local election office will have police officers, who been trained specifically on how to best work around an election, monitoring early voting and absentee ballot counting once it begins, said Zach Manifold, the county's director of elections.
Daniel Baxter, the Detroit election official who oversees absentee counting, said poll worker pay was doubled in 2022 in hopes of easing recruitment and attracting more qualified personnel.
Poll workers this year who agree to work three shifts counting absentee ballots in the convention center, where Republican protesters tried to shut down ballot counting while making baseless allegations of fraud in 2020, will make $2,250.
In Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, police plan to shut down the street outside the building where the election results are tabulated to control access to the building, said Aaron Dobson, inspector for the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Office.
In Colorado, where counties are required to undergo an election-related security analysis, the state is making funds available so that officials can make recommended upgrades.
For some county officials, that means upgrading their locks and cameras, while others have installed bulletproof glass and purchased bulletproof vests, according to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, a Democrat. Poll workers who work this election will also make an additional $3 an hour in pay, the same premium rate they made in 2020.
A new state law to fend off insider threats also requires that election equipment be under 24/7 surveillance and protected by keycard access.
Griswold said officials in the state are preparing for threats they’ve never seen, including those stemming from artificial intelligence.
“We have layers of security — we have military and law enforcement joining our team to protect our cyber support systems,” she said. “People are voting on paper so that, of course, can’t be hacked, but what they’re doing is protecting our support systems.”
She and her staff routinely face threats. One person who made threats against her was arrested while Griswold was in the hospital giving birth.
“We are definitely on top of it, and take all of our security very seriously,” she said. “But the No. 1 thing we do is vote on a piece of paper.”
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