As threats against election workers have escalated in recent years, so have efforts to strengthen security measures at election offices and polling locations. In Ohio, lawmakers have even introduced legislation aimed at providing additional safeguards for election workers. In a recent interview, the head of the Ohio Association of Election Officials said that additional safety measures are in place to keep workers and voters safe at the polls. However, he also indicated that even before threats became more prevalent, our state has had to replace between 10 and 15 percent of election workers each year. The simple fact is that our state needs our bipartisan election workers to ensure our elections run smoothly, and without the thousands of dedicated volunteers who work at the polls, we would lack the manpower necessary to run our elections.
On Sept. 15, for the second time in two months, a gunman attempted to assassinate a former president and current major party candidate. No matter our politics, we must take a stand in denouncing dangerous rhetoric, regardless of its source, that has the potential to incite violence against candidates and election workers. So, as we prepare for the start of early voting, the onus is on all of us to do our part to keep election workers and voters safe at the polls. That starts with dialing down the rhetoric and doing what we can to support our bipartisan elections professionals and volunteers who work tirelessly to ensure our elections run smoothly and securely.
J. Kenneth Blackwell (R-OH) is a former two-term Ohio secretary of state.
Zack Space (D-OH) formerly represented Ohio’s 18th Congressional District. As members of Democracy Defense Project’s Board of Directors, Blackwell and Space spearhead initiatives in Ohio to preserve election integrity and foster greater confidence in election results across the state.