Election officials prepare for threats with panic buttons, bulletproof glass
CHRISTINA A. CASSIDY
Associated Press
Updated
Election officials are taking actions to protect their workers, volunteers and voters amid concerns of heightened political rhetoric and threats (AP video: Mike Householder and Christina A. Cassidy)
MARIETTA, Ga. — The election director in Cobb County, an Atlanta suburb where votes will be fiercely contested in this year's presidential race, recently organized a five-hour training session. The focus wasn't solely on the nuts and bolts of running this year's election. Instead, it brought together election staff and law enforcement to strategize on how to keep workers safe and the process of voting and ballot-counting secure.
Election workers in Cobb County, Georgia, will use a card with a panic button on it for this year's fall elections.
Tate Fall, director of Cobb County Elections, speaks during an election security training session at Cobb County Emergency Management headquarters Aug. 23 in Marietta, Ga. Local election directors across the country are beefing up security, planning to use measures such as panic buttons and bulletproof glass.
Election challengers gather outside the TCF Center in Detroit, where absentee ballots were being counted, in a chaotic scene Nov. 4, 2020. Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey said her office is much better prepared this time, with more cameras, armed security and bulletproof glass.
Chris Harvey, deputy executive director of Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, speaks during an election security training session at Cobb County Emergency Management headquarters Aug. 23 in Marietta.
Tate Fall, director of Cobb County Elections, speaks during an election security training session at Cobb County Emergency Management headquarters Aug. 23 in Marietta, Ga. Local election directors across the country are beefing up security, planning to use measures such as panic buttons and bulletproof glass.
Chris Harvey, deputy executive director of Georgia Peace Officers Standards and Training Council, speaks during an election security training session at Cobb County Emergency Management headquarters Aug. 23 in Marietta.
Election challengers gather outside the TCF Center in Detroit, where absentee ballots were being counted, in a chaotic scene Nov. 4, 2020. Detroit City Clerk Janice Winfrey said her office is much better prepared this time, with more cameras, armed security and bulletproof glass.
