'Sow chaos': Expert sees threats of violence being used as weapon to disrupt 2024 election

The rising tide of political threats against election officials isn't just disrupting their lives — it could endanger the nation's votes by scaring people away from jobs at the polls, according to a new analysis from the Guardian.

Threats received by Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows and the Colorado judges who blocked former President Donald Trump from their states' ballots under the 14th Amendment's insurrectionist ban foreshadow a challenging election year in 2024, Lilliana Mason, a political science professor at Johns Hopkins University, told the Guardian Wednesday.

“It’s a message starting off the year, saying, ‘OK we are in 2024, and this is not going to be easy,'" Mason reportedly said. "'Elections are not going to go smoothly, and you better be scared.'"

Mason, who specializes in political violence, warned that these threats are likely to prevent some people from seeking election posts at all, and could ultimately skew the demographics and political beliefs of those who run elections.

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The Guardian notes elected officials aren't the only ones whose lives are made more difficult by such threats.

"A threat against a building, like the bomb threats, takes hours to investigate and evacuate to ensure people are safe," writes Rachel Leingang.

"It’s not always clear, either, whether a threat is simply designed to sow chaos or will lead to violence."

While the risk of election workers being driven out of the process is real, many are taking a stand. Election workers in Washington State vowed to hold the line and prevent disruptions after an unmarked envelope with white powder was sent to a ballot-counting facility.