SACRAMENTO, Calif. — With the 2024 Presidential Election expected to be one of the most historic elections in our nation’s history, many counties throughout the state are ramping up security to help keep their workers safe.
Additional security measures have come as threats against election officials have increased in recent years.
As the finish line draws near, election workers like Rachel Verdoorn are busy processing the millions of ballots that have already been returned across California.
“We take our job seriously. It’s important. We encourage everyone to come out and make sure that they’re voting so their voice can be heard,” said Verdoorn, an election clerk with the Sacramento County Elections Office.
Verdoorn says she started working in the elections division in 2016 because she was interested in learning more about the process.
“I’m more confident about how the voting system works being able to see the process from almost start to finish,” she noted.
According to election officials across the country, threats and harassment against those who administer elections have increased ever since former President Donald Trump falsely claimed he lost the 2020 election because of voter fraud.
A survey by the Brennan Center for Justice shows nearly 40% of local election officials reported experiencing some sort of threat, harassment, or abuse.
Sacramento County officials say keeping their 1,400 election workers and volunteers safe is a top priority.
“Once the election is underway, we amp up security a little bit. We beef up security, so they’ve got more of a presence here. We just want to make sure that all the people who work for us, who help us administer elections for the residents of Sacramento County feel safe and secure,” said Ken Casparis, spokesman for the Sacramento County Elections Office.
Yolo County’s Registrar of Voters Jesse Salinas notes he’s also enhancing security to protect his staff. One step his office has taken is adding plexiglass to the elections department.
“People can be pretty rude to our election workers. I know I’ve had people be rather vulgar to me on the phone in terms of their behavior and we let them know that’s not something that’s acceptable,” said Salinas.
He adds that because of the rise in election fraud conspiracies, he’s had to debunk a lot of rumors about how elections are run. Sacramento and Yolo counties host tours for the public to go behind the scenes and learn more about elections.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there. In fact, I would call some of if disinformation because people are trying to undermine our democracy so if you have questions, I encourage people — reach out to your local registrar of voters. They have incredible information that could enlighten you in terms of the process,” Salinas added.
Salinas shares he’s had people who’ve questioned the election process change their mind after observing how ballots are handled. He says some people still have doubts, but they leave more informed than when they walked in.
“We have a thorough process here in Yolo County where we will check [the ballot], and if there’s a problem, we’ll have another set of eyes look at it, and even a third set of eyes to make sure that the signatures match,” he explained.
Verdoorn encourages anyone who has questions about election integrity to contact their local election office to get the most accurate and information. Tours are offered in counties throughout the state for anyone interested in observing the process.
“If they’re curious, they can always come and watch the process. It’s open to anyone to come and see how it’s done,” said Verdoorn.