Intensifying attacks on the integrity of the vote by President Trump and his allies are fueling deep alarm among state and local officials, who have watched with dread in recent weeks as election workers have been targeted by fast-spreading conspiracy theories.
In Arizona, authorities are investigating calls for violence against the family and staff of Secretary of State Katie Hobbs (D). In Vermont, state election officials received multiple voice mails Tuesday from an individual who urged violence against the staff - including execution by firing squad, according to the secretary of state's office.
"When it rises to the level of obscenities being shouted at my staff on a regular basis, or threats of physical violence, it has gone too far," Vermont Secretary of State Jim Condos (D) said in a statement to The Washington Post. "The conspiracy theories and unfounded rhetoric being pushed by the President and his team only serve to inspire this dangerous behavior, and deepen the divide between the American people - THIS HAS TO STOP."
The president's allies also kept up their attacks. In Georgia, attorneys Sidney Powell and L. Lin Wood held a rally attacking Sterling and other Georgia Republicans for certifying Biden's narrow victory in the state. They called for the resignation of Gov. Brian Kemp and his lieutenant, both Republicans, and for the imprisonment of Kemp for accepting the outcome of the presidential election.
Amber McReynolds, chief executive of the National Vote at Home Institute, which works to expand vote-by-mail options, called Trump's video address Wednesday "dangerous, destructive, and damaging to our democracy and our trust in elections."
McReynolds, a former director of elections in Denver, was sent an image of a noose and a message calling her "a traitor" via Twitter last week. She said it was unbelievable that election administrators have become such targets of hatred.
"These people are dedicated public servants. They are not partisan hacks," she said. "It is ridiculous that more elected officials aren't responding to this craziness."
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