WASHINGTON – On Thursday, Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05), co-chair of the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus, led 31 members of Congress in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland seeking an update on the Election Threats Task Force. The Election Threats Task Force was announced in July 2021 to address threats of violence against election workers, and in August, the Department of Justice announced the Task Force had reviewed more than 1,000 hostile contacts. It is important that the public have an understanding of the scale of the problem the Task Force is facing, their processes for addressing threats, how the Task Force is working with local election administrators, and avenues for future legislation to protect the frontline workers of our democracy.

The letter reads in part: 

“While we applaud the formation of the Task Force, we are alarmed by increasing threats against election workers nationwide, including numerous recent instances of armed people lingering near polling sites. Our election workers are instrumental to free and fair elections, and threats to our election workers undermine the very process of our democracy… 

“The threats directed at local election officials undermine the efficacy of our democracy by forcing out too many qualified and ethical election workers and administrators. These threats also make the positions less appealing and harder to fill. Election administrators around the country, partially as a result of harassment and threats of violence, are facing staffing shortages that could lead to delays, errors, and confusion in the course of ballot casting, counting, and reporting. Our constituents want and deserve efficient and effective election administration, so it is critical that the Department of Justice take affirmative steps to ensure the invaluable foot soldiers of our democracy can safely carry out their jobs.”

Click here to read the letter sent to Attorney General Garland. 

CONTACT: PressGA05@mail.house.gov 

Congresswoman Nikema Williams proudly serves Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District. Congresswoman Williams serves on the exclusive Financial Services Committee where she is Vice Chair of the Oversight and Investigations subcommittee, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, and the Select Committee for the Modernization of Congress. She is Freshman Class President and Co-Chairs the Congressional Voting Rights Caucus. Congresswoman Williams builds on the Fifth District’s legacy as the cradle of the civil rights movement as a champion of voting rights, closing the racial wealth gap, and ensuring the promise of America for all–regardless of their ZIP code or bank account.

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