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In a February 5, 2024, report, U.S. state and local election officials described a connected set of pressures as they prepared for that year’s election: AI-generated misinformation, public distrust, foreign interference, constrained resources, and hostility toward election workers. Their concerns and preparations offer a snapshot of what officials said then—not evidence of what ultimately happened in 2024 or of today’s threat levels, funding, or laws.
What election officials said they were worried about
The risks officials described were not limited to voting machines or cyberattacks. They included the possibility that misleading information could confuse voters, that distrust could make routine election work seem suspect, and that hostility could put staff and offices at risk. The February 2024 CyberScoop report presents these as officials’ concerns heading into the election, rather than a forecast of specific incidents.
Deepfakes could make false information look official
Officials feared that a convincing synthetic voice or image could impersonate a public figure or election administrator and deliver incorrect instructions. Christina Worrell Adkins, then director of elections for Texas, called that possibility “kind of my worst nightmare as an election official.” The danger she identified was not simply that a fake could circulate, but that voters might mistake it for an authoritative election announcement.
Distrust could undermine confidence in administration
Election workers also had to contend with suspicion directed at the people and processes running elections. Mark Earley, supervisor of elections for Leon County, Florida, put the strain plainly: “We’re not the enemy,” he said. The report describes transparency efforts as one way officials tried to make election administration more understandable to the public.
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Physical threats extended beyond individual workers
Officials described harassment, doxing, swatting, bomb threats, and suspicious mail, as well as concerns about the safety of election facilities. Brendan Donahue, assistant inspector in charge at the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, said his “greatest concern” heading into the 2024 elections was “threats of violence and actual violence perpetrated against election officials and also election offices in this country.”
Foreign interference and operational risks were part of the wider picture
The report places foreign interference among the concerns officials faced, alongside cyber and operational risks. It does not establish that any particular incident occurred or quantify the likelihood of one. Officials’ preparations therefore included exercises and coordination covering more than online misinformation alone.
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How officials said they were responding
Direct voters to authoritative information
Heider Garcia, election administrator for Dallas County, Texas, described the response to misleading claims this way: “But the solution is the same: point people towards the actual sources of information.” For voters, that means checking election instructions against information published by the relevant election office rather than relying on a clip, image, or post whose origin is unclear.
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Officials described state-level exercises and work with federal partners, including the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). As reported by CyberScoop from CISA figures, states and counties held 27 election-related tabletop exercises in 2023. CISA also reported 127 training sessions involving more than 7,000 election officials that year; the sessions covered cyber, physical, and operational risks. These are reported 2023 activity figures, not a measure of current capacity or readiness.
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Make election procedures visible
Some offices sought to reduce uncertainty by opening up the process. Hamilton County, Ohio, held “Behind the Ballot” meetings where citizens, media, and legislators could meet election staff and receive briefings on voting machines and safeguards. The report describes similar transparency programs in Florida, Rhode Island, Ohio, and Texas, including opportunities to observe certification and audits and to brief lawmakers.
Use state policy to address synthetic political media
Washington Secretary of State Steve Hobbs described a state law requiring disclosure of deepfakes in election-related media. The report also noted legislative proposals in Rhode Island and Kentucky. Those details describe the legal landscape as reported in February 2024; they do not establish what laws or requirements are in force now.
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Assess office safety and rehearse procedures
Reported preparations included de-escalation training, attention to suspicious mail, and assessments of office doors, camera blind spots, and alarms, along with emergency drills. These were examples officials discussed, not a universal security standard. Their emphasis on practice reflects the fact that personal safety and facility security are related but distinct problems.
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Officials described limited resources as a constraint on election security and administration. Hobbs said, “I’d like to have more money to give to my local counties to help them.” The funding figures in the report are historical: according to Election Assistance Commission figures cited by CyberScoop, federal election-security grants distributed to states and territories totaled $150 million across fiscal years 2022 and 2023. Congress had separately approved a one-time $425 million for election security and administration in 2019. Neither figure should be read as a current appropriation or recurring annual amount.
What the figures on threats do—and do not—show
CyberScoop cited a 2023 Brennan Center for Justice survey in which 30% of surveyed election officials said they had personally experienced abuse, harassment, or threats in the prior year, and three in four thought such threats had increased in recent years. The report does not provide survey-method details sufficient to establish how broadly those responses represent election officials as a whole. The figures describe officials’ reported experiences and perceptions at that time, not the present threat environment.
What voters can take from the officials’ concerns
The officials’ approach to confusing or suspicious election claims was to direct people to the actual source of election information. In practice, voters can look for confirmation from the election office responsible for their jurisdiction before acting on a purported announcement. The report’s broader point is that trust depends not only on correcting false claims, but also on making processes visible and protecting the people who administer them.
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