Guardians of the Ballot Box: Addressing Cybersecurity Vulnerabilities and Privacy Concerns for Local Election Officials in Digital Spaces

Throughout the 2020 U.S. election, nefarious actors sought to discover "the truth11 about "irregularities” from mail-in balloting and the perceived "clandestine” vote certification process. In many cases, the line between political activism and political extremism dissolved, whereby local election officials (LEOs) reported being followed, threatened with violence, and falsely accused of "stealing” the election via phone, mail, email, and social media platforms. Ultimately, numerous LEOs would require protection from law enforcement and, in some cases, choose to resign.