A third of Kansas election officials have quit because of harassment and conspiracy theories

Nearly one-third of Kansas election officials have left since 2020 amid harassment and criticism fueled by unsubstantiated voting fraud claims. The continued scrutiny may cause additional stress in 2024.
LAWRENCE, Kansas — Democratic Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew spent weeks preparing volunteers to serve at polling places for the recent local elections in Kansas.

At the county’s election offices in Lawrence, about a dozen people gathered to get up to speed. Some of the volunteers were experienced poll workers who had served several elections before, while others were newcomers this year.

While Shew focused on what the volunteers may encounter this year, he also hinted at what they should know for the elections in 2024 — the first presidential election since the ultra-contentious 2020 vote.

“So in the smaller elections,” Shew said to the poll workers, “please continue to be as sharp as you will be a year from now.”

Making sure the poll workers do everything right is always important for conducting a safe and secure election, but next year their actions will be under a microscope. After the 2020 election, Republican President Donald Trump repeatedly pushed false claims that voter fraud cost him re-election.