### Ensuring Safe Elections: Preparations Amid Rising Threats

ATLANTA - When Deidre Holden received an alarming email containing a bomb threat and a slew of insults nearly four years ago, she realized that the landscape of election processes had significantly shifted. As the election director for Paulding County, located northwest of Atlanta, Georgia, she reflects on this pivotal moment. “Elections used to be busy, fun, and mostly uneventful. But elections are a different world now,” she says, highlighting that survival training is now a part of the planning process.

This troubling email arrived just days before the intensely charged January 2021 U.S. Senate runoff elections. Rather than feeling frightened, Holden felt angry at the assault on her team and the electoral process. The FBI investigated the threat, which prompted Holden to take preventative measures to safeguard future elections. Collaborating with law enforcement, her team engaged in joint training sessions in readiness for any obstacles.

One entity that has been instrumental in supporting election workers like Holden is the Committee for Safe and Secure Elections (CSSE). This national, nonpartisan organization provides training for election officials and police officers to navigate the volatile atmosphere surrounding elections. Chris Harvey, a co-founder of CSSE and former Georgia elections director, emphasizes the importance of these joint efforts, aiming to help both groups understand each other's roles and responsibilities.

Harvey himself experienced threats in the fallout of the 2020 elections. Just a day before the Senate runoff election in January 2021, his personal details were leaked online, accompanied by a threatening message. This incident solidified Harvey’s decision to leave his position as Georgia elections director. He has since returned to law enforcement, now serving as deputy executive director for the Georgia Peace Officer Standards and Training Council (P.O.S.T).

CSSE has facilitated training sessions in about 30 states, including Arizona, Michigan, and Georgia. At a recent class in Brunswick, Georgia, Harvey and his successor, Blake Evans, led 30 election officials, police officers, and deputies through various scenarios, preparing them for situations ranging from minor disruptions to significant threats.

The training sessions also tackle the delicate balance between securing polling places and avoiding voter intimidation, a particularly sensitive issue given the historical context of voter suppression in the South. Experts like Andra Gillespie from Emory University and Christopher Bruce from the ACLU of Georgia stress the importance of building trust with marginalized communities and clearly defining threats before deploying law enforcement.

Practical solutions proposed include having plainclothes officers at polling locations to avoid creating an intimidating environment. Additionally, election workers and law enforcement officers must establish relationships beforehand to ensure smooth collaboration during emergencies.

The training concludes with election workers and law enforcement personnel gaining better insights into each other's responsibilities. For many, like Staff Sgt. Steve McKinney of the Camden County Sheriff's Office, this training offers a new appreciation for the challenges faced by poll managers and a stronger commitment to ensuring their safety.

In Paulding County, where Deidre Holden continues her work with enhanced security measures, including surveillance cameras and panic buttons, she remains resolved. “Because I love what I do. And I'm not going to be bullied; I'm not going to be threatened for doing it,” she asserts, firmly standing her ground.