Bloodshed at Arizona polls? That rhetoric won't stop threats against election officials

We don’t go for long these days without dire warnings of democracy at stake in the 2024 elections.

That includes threats of harm against state and local officials tasked with administering elections.

At a news conference on Monday afternoon, the U.S. attorney for Arizona and Justice Department officials used the arrest of two out-of-state men to highlight the state as ground zero for election threats.

One-third of the 18 federal cases involving such threats relate to Arizona.

Bloodshed at polls? Isn't that overdramatic?

I have no qualms about throwing the book at people who threaten death or harm to election officials.

They serve a critical role in our direct democracy and deserve protection.

But the rhetoric about these threats can use a bit of toning down.

In recent weeks, stories were planted with national and international news outlets about extreme steps the Arizona secretary of state and others are taking in preparation for violence.

Active-shooter drills at polling stations. Tourniquet kits to stanch bleeding, devices to barricade doors and hammers to break windows distributed to county election offices.

Overdramatic much?

The armageddon scenarios actually cheapen the actual harm being perpetuated against election workers, intimidation and harassment that wears on them and chases some away from the job.

That harassment at least contributed to some of the 12 out of 15 Arizona county election chiefs leaving since the 2020 election. No doubt some grew dispirited and quit or retired after enduring strong criticism from the elected officials they work alongside.

The system works to deal with real threats

Bonafide threats, on the other hand, are actionable.

Federal officials have prosecuted a handful of cases involving threats issued to Arizonans, including a Massachusetts man sentenced to more than three years in prison for a bomb threat made to then-Secretary of State Katie Hobbs.

And a Texas man, who last summer was sentenced to three and a half years for threatening two Maricopa County officials and their families in retaliation of the 2022 election.

The system works.

How we know: The county attorney is running scared

There’s a fair debate to be made about whether threats and intimidations of election workers should be elevated to a more serious offense. Or whether there should be more severe penalties for doxxing, the act of posting their personal information online, exposing them to harm.

In fact, there are bills at the Legislature that would do just that. They’re reportedly DOA because of Republican opposition, in particular from Sen. Wendy Rogers who chairs a key committee where the bills were heard.

That said, none of the Democratic leaders, including Gov. Hobbs or Attorney General Kris Mayes, saw fit to use their bully pulpit or political capital to push those bills.

Stay tough on threats to election officials

I suspect if there are clear and present dangers to election officials, more meaningful actions will be taken beyond “break glass in case of emergency” tools.

The secretary of state, county recorders and other administrators can better serve election workers by coordinating with law enforcement and prosecutors to go hard on election threats.

In late January, Mayes’ office secured three years’ probation for a 45-year-old man who threatened to kill a Maricopa County supervisor with poison.

Threats and intimidations are Class 1 misdemeanors, punishable by up to 6 months in jail.

No small thing. Especially to those with jobs, families and reputations.

Diligent and consistent prosecution of these cases will have a chilling effect on others contemplating such acts.

Not surprisingly, some of the defendants struggle with other issues — as in the threat against Hobbs and one of the two federal cases cited on Monday — such as depression, substance abuse and mental health issues.

Prosecution in those instances helps the individual and their family more directly deal with underlying problems.

There are sufficient high stakes in play in elections. We don’t need political theater about bloodshed and election offices under siege, just people in charge quietly doing their jobs.

Reach Abe Kwok at akwok@azcentral.com. On X, formerly Twitter: @abekwok.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona election threats are real, but can we tone down the rhetoric?