Election officials in this year’s most decisive congressional districts may face the kind of intense pressure long associated with battleground states, even in areas with little recent experience handling highly competitive races.
Tina Barton, who oversaw elections in Rochester Hills, Michigan, in 2020, said the key difference between battleground and non-battleground states is how mistakes are treated. A routine human error can become the basis for a conspiracy theory when it occurs in a closely contested state, she said.
On election night in 2020, Barton’s office mistakenly sent an unofficial absentee-ballot file twice after the first transmission did not initially appear to go through. The error did not affect votes and was corrected in the following day’s tally. Nevertheless, the incident drew accusations from the Republican National Committee chairwoman and led to death threats against Barton, including a voicemail threatening her life.
Officials in states such as Michigan, Georgia and Arizona have since become more accustomed to intense scrutiny. But the congressional races that could decide control of the House and Senate this year are spread across the country, potentially placing officials in Iowa, Alaska, New York and Kansas under a national spotlight for the first time.
Chris McGinn, executive director of the Texas Association of County Election Officials, said Texas officials are preparing for that possibility. The state has been reliably Republican for decades, resulting in fewer competitive federal elections and less pressure on local election administrators. This year, however, the Senate race could influence control of the chamber.
McGinn said officials are still working through the possibility that the pressure seen elsewhere could reach Texas. He has urged them not to assume that election controversies happen only in other states, warning against a repeat of the intense scrutiny associated with Florida’s 2000 election.
The overall threat environment appears calmer than in the period after the 2020 election. Wendy Link, supervisor of elections for Palm Beach County, Florida, said her office continues to receive intimidating messages, including threats of arrest and imprisonment. However, she said she is not currently seeking additional security protection.
Barton believes the pressure could intensify if the midterm races are close. As vice president of the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections, she helps local officials prepare for potential problems, including equipment failures, ballot jams and website outages.
Researchers who study election misinformation say false narratives often begin with genuine technical or administrative problems. Influencers or politicians may then portray those incidents as deliberate or widespread, even when the underlying issue is limited.
The Committee for Safe and Secure Elections doubled the number of trainings it conducted compared with 2024. The increase reflects concerns about election-related actions by the Trump administration as well as a broader recognition that officials in any state may suddenly find themselves operating in a battleground environment.
Barton’s advice to officials in competitive districts is direct: they need to be prepared.
Sources: NPR News.