The findings were presented at a briefing on Monday with US Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite and a bipartisan group of about 750 election officials and workers from across the country as they prepare for the midterm elections.
Aside from the 11% of the contacts that merited a federal investigation, “the remaining reported contacts did not provide a predication for a federal criminal investigation,” the Justice Department said in a news release announcing the findings on Monday. “While many of the contacts were often hostile, harassing, and abusive towards election officials, they did not include a threat of unlawful violence.”
The task force also found that election workers in states with close elections were more likely to receive threats. According to the news release, “58% of the total of potentially criminal threats were in states that underwent 2020 post-election lawsuits, recounts, and audits, such as Arizona, Georgia, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and Wisconsin.” The states listed by the Justice Department are all battlegrounds where former President Donald Trump lost to Joe Biden.
In light of the ongoing threats, officials were also provided at Monday’s briefing with resources for seeking funding geared toward increased security at election offices.
More News
At the Time 100 Gala, Glamour Meets Influence
With Inflation This High, Nobody Knows What a Dollar Is Worth
Democrats Try to Navigate a Looming Strike in a Swing State