Democrats say electors fear political violence
When it came time to cast his ceremonial Electoral College vote for Joe Biden in 2020, Democrat Khary Penebaker had to keep things hush-hush.
He wanted to bring his girlfriend at the time, but wasn’t allowed a guest. He couldn’t even walk through the front door of Wisconsin’s statehouse.
Instead, Penebaker and other Badger State electors met at an undisclosed location. Law enforcement escorted the group through tunnels to arrive at a room in the statehouse, which had been closed off to the public.
The 46-year-old Democrat, who ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2016, called the experience “terrifying.” He was scared after seeing stories of election workers being harassed in other swing states.
Penebaker, who is Black, said he thought back to how civil rights activists more than half a century ago had crossed Alabama’s Edmund Pettus Bridge knowing they would be beaten by police officers on the other side. He said if they could survive that, he could muster the courage to cast an electoral vote.
Democrats, scholars and election watchdogs are keenly vigilant about the safety of people like Penebaker, who sign up to cast votes for their political parties on behalf of the Electoral College a month after Election Day, and who typically assemble at statehouses as a key part of the constitutionally mandated ceremonial process of choosing the next president.
Political violence can slow down the process of electing the president because officials end up needing to evacuate buildings and halt proceedings to shore up security, such as what happened on Jan. 6, 2021. The slowdown can give bad actors time to sow doubt in the democratic process.
USA TODAY spoke with five Democratic Party officials in four swing states – Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota and Nevada – who all said electors are feeling apprehensive. The Republican National Committee and presumptive 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment about security concerns.
Efforts to reach Republican officials in Pennsylvania were unsuccessful.
This chorus is likely to intensify in the coming months, especially given Trump’s refusal to explicitly rule out political violence in multiple interviews should the former president lose this fall and his previous attempt to fraudulently replace those slates in 2020 to overturn his election loss.
Democrats did not disclose the specifics of their security plans, but a top official with the Democratic National Committee said they had one in 2020 and have one for 2024. When electors are placed, which is happening all over the country, the party will hold a security briefing for them.
The concerns about electors’ safety are similar to the ones about election workers. A new survey released this month by the Brennan Center for Justice shows 38% of them have experienced threats, harassment or abuse for doing their jobs, forcing many to quit.
Security concerns based on ‘credible threats’ in 2020
Penebaker said he received hundreds of emails threatening him with lynching if he didn’t change his 2020 electoral vote from Biden to Trump.
He had panic attacks, fearing something could happen at any minute. He said he’ll never sign up to be an elector again.
“They took what should be the pageantry, the majestic feel of being an elector,” Penebaker said. “You’re one of (538) people in the country who get to do this, and that’s a huge honor, and to have it robbed of you … it’s unfair.”
Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who authored a book about the 2020 election, said the fears are legitimate.
He pointed to actual violence that occurred on Dec. 14, 2020, the day electors across the country assembled in their respective states and that served as a preview of the attack on the U.S. Capitol a few weeks later.
Dems discussed elector security at pre-convention meeting
Ahead of the 2024 election, state Democrats have established security plans for their electors, according to multiple officials.
It was at the forefront of a discussion with state-level leaders who gathered in Chicago in April for a pre-convention huddle, USA TODAY has learned.
“We have talked about security plans for electors, and we did have a whole plan in 2020 after the threat level increased on our electors to keep them safe,” Martin said.
“There are conversations that have happened, that continue to happen, to help protect the safety of people who administer elections.”
Georgia leaders in particular expressed apprehension given how Peach State poll workers were targeted by Trump and his allies in the weeks leading up to the U.S. Capitol attack. State Democratic officials told USA TODAY they have specific worries about electors facing doxing, online harassment and physical harm.
Experts warn of ‘weak points’ in picking president
As part of the Electoral College, each state gets two electors per senator, plus the number of congressional districts. That means California, the most populous state, has 54 electors. Wyoming, the least populous, has 3 electors. It takes at least the votes of 270 electors to win the White House.
There are general requirements under the U.S. Constitution for the electors. They cannot be members of Congress, hold high-level federal positions or have engaged in an insurrection or rebellion against the U.S. They must convene a month after the November election to select the presidential and vice presidential candidates who won their respective states. Each state can also have additional procedures.
For decades, electors largely had a bit part in a presidential race, playing a role that flew under the political radar until Dec. 14, 2020. That’s when the ceremonial assemblies were met with varying degrees of altercations and the shuttering to the public of state legislative buildings in a few key battleground states.
What happened in 2020 has changed how the job was once viewed by both parties, and it also explains the Democrats’ apprehension going into 2024, McDonald said.
Unlike poll workers and other election officials, he said, electors tend to be more partisan and experienced players, whose selection often reflects longstanding civic service or political stature.