Alabama and Connecticut Join States Enacting Legislation to Protect Election Workers
Twenty States Have Passed Bipartisan Bills to Protect Election Officials Since 2022
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Responding to the documented increase in threats and harassment of election officials since the last presidential election, Alabama and Connecticut have enacted new legislation to protect election workers in 2024. A total of twenty states have passed legislation to protect election officials since 2022, according to Public Citizen’s tracker of related state bills nationwide.
Alabama’s recently passed HB 100 was signed into law on May 15th by Governor Kay Ivey (R), and Connecticut’s HB 5498 was signed on May 22nd by Governor Ned Lamont (D).
“Legislators around the country are reaching across the aisle to work together to protect election workers,” said Jalisa Giles, Secure Our Vote campaign coordinator with Public Citizen. “Our democracy is stronger than the conspiracy theories that seek to undermine it, which have led to these unprecedented attacks on people who are committed to administering our elections fairly and efficiently.”
Several other bipartisan bills are moving through legislatures across the country.
“Everyone should feel safe at work, including election officials,” said Jonah Minkoff-Zern, co-director of Public Citizen’s democracy campaign. “While disinformation about a stolen election has helped feed threats to election workers, we have tools in our toolbox to protect them. These bills are a good way for legislators nationwide to proclaim that political violence against people working our elections won’t be tolerated in their communities.”