Entire Staff of Texas County Elections Office Resigns, Citing Threats & Harassment

Today’s Links

Articles:

Fredricksburg Standard - Radio Post - Threats, stalking lead to election office resignation
VoteBeat Texas - What brought down one Texas county’s entire elections department? It was something in the water.

NPR/Texas Public Radio - A Texas county's election administrators all resigned, leaving the state to step in

Groups Taking Action:
League of United Latin American Citizens  - Poll Worker Recruitment Day 2022
Election Official Legal Defense Network

You’re listening to the American Democracy Minute, keeping YOUR government by and for the people.

We’re in Texas today, where earlier this month, the entire staff of a Texas county elections office resigned, citing post-2020 election threats and cyber stalking, misinformation, understaffing, and low pay.   

The Fredricksburg Standard Radio Post and VoteBeat Texas reported that the staff of the Gillespie County elections office had been dealing with fringe conspiracy theories even before former President Donald Trump’s accusations of widespread voter fraud.  Trump won the county with 79% of the vote.  

The Post quotes long-time elections clerk & administrator Anissa Herrera, as saying, “After the 2020 election I was threatened, I’ve been stalked, I’ve been called out on social media, and it’s just dangerous misinformation.  The year 2020 was when I got the death threats,” said Herrera. “It was enough that I reached out to our county attorney, and it was suggested that I forward it to the Fredricksburg Police Department and the Sheriff’s Department. 

Her co-workers have also left, leaving it to the state to train new staff prior to the start of October 24the early voting.   There may be other county employees who will step in, some of whom have prior election experience, but the state will need to give them a crash course in the 300 new election rules passed by the Texas legislature since 2020.  

Sam Taylor, Texas assistant secretary of state for communications said, “Unfortunately, threats like these drive away the very officials our state needs now more than ever to help instill confidence in our election system.”

Links to articles and groups taking action are at AmericanDemocracyMinute.org.

For the American Democracy Minute, I’m Brian Beihl