The 2024 election will be safer and more secure thanks to state and local officials’ preparation

In recent years, local election officials and their staffs across the country have operated under increased scrutiny as Republican trust in the election process has fallen and threats and harassment against election workers have increased. This challenging work environment has contributed toward rising employee turnover and difficulty recruiting poll workers.

Fortunately, state and local officials have responded to this challenge in ways that will improve the safety and security of America’s elections in 2024 and beyond. Strategies include increasing coordination between local election officials and local law enforcement agencies; engaging in training exercises to prepare for a range of incidents that could disrupt the election process; and, in one state, incorporating election law education directly into police training curriculum.

Election officials came under intense scrutiny in the aftermath of the 2020 presidential race amid unsubstantiated claims of widespread election fraud. In too many cases, this distrust in the results led to threats against public officials. While the prosecution and conviction of some perpetrators of these threats should serve as a deterrent, election administrators have wisely taken proactive steps to ensure workers and voters remain safe throughout the 2024 election period.

These preparations are grounded in common sense. As an example, American elections are administered at the local level by cities and counties that provide law enforcement services to their communities. However, election offices and law enforcement agencies have not traditionally engaged with one another much—in large part because it was not necessary.

It is now common practice for election officials and law enforcement leaders to maintain regular communication before Election Day and to engage in joint incident-response planning exercises in advance. In fact, a Brennan Center poll from May 2024 found that, since 2020, 41 percent of election offices have begun coordinating with local law enforcement. This percentage has likely continued to rise leading up to this year’s election.

Statewide election officials, such as secretaries of state and lieutenant governors, have also taken steps to ensure robust preparations and coordination within and across jurisdictions. For example, tabletop exercises bring local election and law enforcement officials together to plan for various scenarios that can disrupt elections, including security incidents, natural disasters, and even AI-generated deepfakes that attempt to spread misinformation.

Georgia was the first U.S. state to take the extra step of requiring election-law training for all new police officers (starting in 2025). The decision by the Peace Officer Standards & Training (POST) Council to add one hour of election-law training to the new recruit curriculum will ensure that the patrol-level officers most likely to respond to Election Day incidents are familiar with some of the nuances surrounding election law. This is particularly important because of the unique protections for political speech that exist around polling places and the likelihood that emotions will be running high. A baseline understanding of local election laws will help reduce the risk of a police response to a call from an election worker inadvertently escalating.

Overall, it is unfortunate that America’s political culture has reached a point where election security needs to be top of mind, but it is encouraging to see election and law enforcement officials rise to the occasion. Lessons learned from the 2020 presidential and 2022 midterm cycles—along with extensive planning and preparations—have set the stage for election officials to effectively manage and execute a safe and secure election amid a highly competitive race this November and, over time, to help restore broad trust in America’s political process.