Oregon Senators Push to Save Election Task Force as Officials Battle Harassment and Abuse

Oregon Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden have called for an immediate status and update on the activities of the Department of Justice’s Election Threats Task Force.

They have joined forces with a coalition of lawmakers requesting that U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi keep the Task Force operational ‘to ensure that election officials of both parties can safely administer elections.’

Rising Concerns About Downgraded Efforts to Deflect Election Security Threats

Their appeal follows rising concerns over the Trump administration’s downgraded federal efforts to deflect election security threats.

The FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force was disbanded by Bondi on her first day in office.

Senator Merkley, a member of the Senate Rules Committee, is also concerned about significant election security cutbacks in the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA).

In a letter to Bondi, the lawmakers expressed concerns about recent policy and personnel decisions at the DOJ, as well as the lack of transparency about the future. They want to know what resources will be provided to ensure that the important work of the Election Threats Task Force will continue.

Survey Finds That 45% of Election Officials Fear for Their Safety

The Brennan Center for Justice undertook a recent poll that revealed that 45% of local election officials ‘fear for the safety of their colleagues.’

The researchers found that one in three officials ‘faced death threats, online harassment, and abuse,’ and that political leaders ‘interfered in their work.’

Furthermore, the survey found that 48 percent left their positions because they feared for their safety.