SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Elections offices across the country are on high alert after an increase in threats and harassment against employees.
Safety is a top priority for Jessie Salinas, the registrar of voters for the Yolo Elections Office.
“The last thing you want is for anybody to have harm done to them by just doing their job and that's really critical for us,” said Salinas.
He says he’s been threatened while doing his job.
"Folks that have been pretty aggressive in terms of their comments towards either myself or even family members," he said. "It's unfortunate, but at the same time, you just have to focus on the task at hand, and be positive with people and know that we're here for the greater good of our democracy."
In 2021, the Department of Justice created the Threats Against Election Workers Task Force in response to the significant increase in the threat of violence against elections offices. In their first year alone, they’ve reviewed more than 1,000 contacts that allegedly harassed election workers. So far, the task force has prosecuted 13 federal cases with a majority of them ending in guilty pleas or sentencings.
Salinas said all of California's elections offices are on high alert.
“We're having conversations at a statewide level (about) what can we do to keep the offices and all of our staff and the poll workers as safe as possible during this climate," he said.
His office decided to do some remodeling ahead of the November 2024 presidential election. The front of the office will soon be enclosed and have key card entry doors. Currently, the elections office is equipped with emergency buttons with law enforcement on speed dial.
In recent news headlines, suspicious envelopes were sent to election offices in five states, some containing fentanyl. While two letters addressed to elections offices in Los Angles and Sacramento were intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service, workers are still on edge.
Salinas says his office is already stocked with NARCAN, an opioid overdose treatment, and staff have been trained on how to administer it properly.
“We're here to run an amazing election that’s secure and safe and we will do that. We will be successful regardless of what people try to do. We'll make sure we're protecting our staff and providing that for our voters," he said.
Security also hinges on being transparent about the voting process. Yolo County approved funding for additional viewing space in the elections office so people can see how ballots are scanned and counted.
Salinas encourages voters to come check out the election process in Yolo County firsthand through guided visits.
"Every election is important. We want to make sure people understand we care and we're doing everything possible to make a positive difference," he said.
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